Day two at the 2024 Nitto ATP finals kicked off with a surprise as Casper Ruud ended his losing streak by defeating Carlos Alcaraz 6-1 7-5 in the afternoon session in Turin.
Ruud has only won one of his last seven tour matches and failed to advance past the first round in his previous three indoor tournaments, yet he made short work of the Spaniard, coming through in 1 hour and 25 minutes.
In the evening session, Alexander Zverev carried on from where he left off in Paris, serving heavily to come through his match against Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4.
Nitto ATP Finals 2024 Day 2 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Casper Ruud (6) | Carlos Alcaraz (3) | 6-1 7-5 |
| Alexander Zverev (2) | Andrey Rublev (8) | 6-4 6-4 |
Ruud Surprises Alcaraz
Given his recent form, few people had expected Casper Ruud to be capable of delivering much in Turin. But he kicked things off with an impressive performance on Monday, defeating third seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5.
Ruud, who’s barely won a match in recent weeks, took full advantage of an error-strewn Alcaraz display, who we are told has been struggling with a cold.
The Spaniard hasn’t looked very at ease with indoor tennis this season. From 1-1, he lost five consecutive games, made 15 unforced errors in the set, and struggled to find the right shots.
In the second, Alcaraz raised his game slightly with more intensity and started hitting his groundstrokes with more on them.
Ruud’s level also dropped, allowing the third seed to forge a 5-2 lead. However, his inconsistency soon reared its head back up, and the Norwegian reeled off another five games in a row to capture his 50th tour win of the year.
This was probably one of the worst matches I’ve seen Alcaraz play. It was one of those head-scratching matches where he didn’t get it going. He had low-percentage shots, no feel, and his first serve was pretty wild. I’d have liked to see him try to grind it out, but he instead went for the laser beam line-finding type shots, and it was one of those days where it didn’t work.
It’s only one match, but it’s definitely one of the best wins of the season for me. In terms of who I’m playing, his level, his ranking and all this stuff. I feel very happy of course. I think we will see Carlos play better tennis than he did today, but I took care of my chances. I have not been [full of] confidence in the past weeks or months, so it was a great win for me and hopefully I can build on it, and I would like to get some more wins while I am in Turin. It can be a bit tricky. I knew he was dealing with a bit of a cold. I saw him sniffling in the back area and with a tissue for his nose, so that’s a sign that maybe physically he won’t be necessarily at 100 per cent. Of course, that is sad, and not good for him, but at the same time it is part of the game. I knew it coming in. I tried to make him play rallies and do my best, but it’s not easy because when you kind of know that someone is not 100 per cent, maybe you get stressed yourself. You think, ‘This is a really big chance for me to maybe try to win’. So I just tried to stay in my world, the moment, and luckily I got a good start. I got a break early and kept it, and in the second set I was able to turn it around with some good tennis at the end. Ruud on his win.
Match Stats
| Â | Carlos Alcaraz | Casper Ruud |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 4 | 5 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 0 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 66% | 68% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 59% (17/29) | 69% (35/51) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 53% (8/15) | 58% (14/24) |
| Break Points Saved | 0% (0/4) | 83% (5/6) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 33% (17/51) | 41% (12/29) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 42% (10/24) | 47% (7/15) |
| Break Points Converted | 17% (1/6) | 100% (4/4) |
| Winners | 25 | 15 |
| Unforced Errors | 34 | 16 |
| Net Points Won | 65% (15/23) | 80% (12/15) |
| Service Points Won | 57% (25/44) | 65% (48/74) |
| Return Points Won | 35% (26/74) | 43% (19/44) |
| Total Points Won | 43% (51/118) | 57% (67/118) |
| Service Games Won | 56% (5/9) | 90% (9/10) |
| Return Games Won | 10% (1/10) | 44% (4/9) |
| Total Games Won | 32% (6/19) | 68% (13/19) |
Highlights
Zverev Too Strong For Rublev
Sascha Zverev is the man to beat at this year’s ATP Finals. He comes in serving great guns and won the Masters 1000 in Paris last week in fine style.
On the other hand, his opponent hasn’t done much since losing in the Canadian Open final back in August, and Zverev proved too solid for him, winning 6-4 6-4 in 1 hour and 13 minutes.
Despite that, I thought Rublev played ok in parts, but Zverev’s solid baseline play was ever present to take advantage when the Russian’s rapier-like hitting leaked a few errors in game seven of set 1 and game 9 of set 9.
This season, Zverev’s serve has gone to a whole new level thanks to a couple of refinements, and he recorded more impressive numbers against Rublev, winning 81% behind his first serve and 80% behind his second,
The German didn’t have to face a break point and converted both of his to bag his 67th win of the season.
I thought it was a very solid match from my end. Against anyone here, you have to play your best to have a chance, you have to be solid [and] mentally strong. I feel like I did that today, I felt like I used my chances quite well and I’m obviously happy with this win Zverev on his win.
Match Stats
| Â | Alexander Zverev | Andrey Rublev |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 10 | 3 |
| Double Faults | 0 | 0 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 71% | 69% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 81% (29/36) | 76% (26/34) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 80% (12/15) | 60% (9/15) |
| Break Points Saved | 0% (0/0) | 0% (0/2) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 24% (8/34) | 19% (7/36) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 47% (7/15) | 20% (3/15) |
| Break Points Converted | 100% (2/2) | 0% (0/0) |
| Winners | 22 | 10 |
| Unforced Errors | 15 | 14 |
| Net Points Won | 75% (9/12) | 88% (7/8) |
| Service Points Won | 80% (40/50) | 69% (34/49) |
| Return Points Won | 31% (15/49) | 20% (10/50) |
| Total Points Won | 56% (55/99) | 44% (44/99) |
| Service Games Won | 100% (10/10) | 80% (8/10) |
| Return Games Won | 20% (2/10) | 0% (0/10) |
| Total Games Won | 60% (12/20) | 40% (8/20) |
Highlights
Press Conferences
ATP Finals 2024 Day 2 Schedule
Tuesday 12th November:
- 14:00: Daniil Medvedev (4) vs Alex de Minaur (7)
- 20:30: Jannik Sinner (1) vs Taylor Fritz (5)
Have you enjoyed the ATP Finals so far? In my opinion, it’s not really got going yet, with no real standout performances.