After a perfect start to the ATP Finals Alexander Zverev let out a huge scream. “Let’s go!”, the German tennis star then said to himself. The 28-year-old beat American Ben Shelton 6:3, 7:6 (8:6) at the start of the prestigious tournament in Turin and therefore has a good chance of reaching the semifinals.
“I did everything well and was in control. I am very happy with this victory,” said Zverev in an interview on the Inalpi Arena pitch.
For the world number three, it was the fifth win in his fifth duel with Shelton. In his only win of the season in April in Munich, he had beaten the American in the final. There was no sign of the ankle problem Zverev suffered in his recent 0:6, 1:6 semi-final defeat in Paris against Italian Jannik Sinner at the Inalpi Arena.
Zverev took advantage of Shelton’s weakness
Zverev played with high concentration and was again able to rely on his strong serve. Throughout the match, the 2021 Olympic champion did not need to waste a single break opportunity. Shelton, on the other hand, was weak on his own serve, which Zverev exploited with two breaks in the first set.
In the second half, Shelton played with more risk – which further increased his error rate. Zverev made far fewer mistakes and played more calmly in crucial moments. In the second set tiebreak, Zverev managed to come back from 0-4 down and converted his first match point after 1:32 hours.
Defending champions Krawietz/Pütz with a false start
Other group opponents for the Hamburg native, who won the unofficial World Tennis Championships among the best eight players in 2018 and 2021, are Sinner and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. At the ATP Finals, group games unfamiliar to tennis will initially be played. The best two from two groups of four advance to the semi-finals. The final took place on November 16.
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz will compete as defending champions in the doubles competition. Initially, the Davis Cup duo lost in the tiebreak match against Marcel Granollers (Spain) and Horacio Zeballos (Argentina).
Alcaraz also celebrated their opening win
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz nor does it show any nudity at first. The 22-year-old won against Australia’s Alex de Minaur 7:6 (7:5), 6:2 after a slight tooth problem. Alcaraz, who has the most individual wins (68) and tournament wins (8) on tour this year, is aiming to become the first Spanish winner of the prestigious tournament in 27 years.
But for Alcaraz, the duel with his long-term rival Sinner is also a matter of which of the two ends the tennis year as number 1. Sinner will enter the competition against Auger-Aliassime on Monday.
Kerber believes in Zverev
Zverev is not without a chance against top two Sinner and Alcaraz – at least that’s what former player Angelique Kerber believes. “I know – and he has proven it – that he can beat Sinner and Alcaraz,” the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner said on Sky. Partial criticism of Zverev was “complaining at a high level,” said Kerber: “Let’s be happy with what we have with Sascha.”
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