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On day four of the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals, Carlos Alcaraz responded with a much-improved performance, defeating Andrey Rublev 6-3 7-6(8) in the day session.
Alcaraz has been dealing with some form of illness, and he played poorly in his opener. However, against Rublev, his all-around game was more cohesive, and he got the job done in 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Sascha Zverev maintained his form in the evening session by coming through a tight match against Casper Ruud 7-6(3) 6-3.
It was another solid serving display from the second seed, who again didn’t face a break point, winning 78% of his service points.
Nitto ATP Finals 2024 Day 4 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz (3) | Andrey Rublev (8) | 6-3 7-6(8) |
| Alexander Zverev (2) | Casper Ruud (6) | 7-6(3) 6-3 |
Alcaraz Overcomes Rublev
It’s incredible what a pink nasal strip can do. Carlos Alcaraz bounced back impressively on Wednesday at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Like Medvedev, the Spaniard had a woeful opening match but hit back in his second group match to defeat Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(8) to get back on track.
The third seed, who struggled with illness in his first match, sported a nasal strip to help his breathing, and it appeared to help, as he was somewhat back to his energetic self during the 96-minute encounter.
Alcaraz was forced to deuce in his opening service game, but after filling to convert two break points in game five, he reeled off four straight games to capture the opening set 6-2.
In the second set, Rublev dug in and started to string together some nice points, but neither player had any break points as the set descended into a tiebreak.
The tie-breaker was an evenly matched affair like the twelve games before it. Alcaraz moved ahead 5-3 to put himself in pole position but soon faced down a set point.
That was erased en route to holding his first match point, which wasn’t taken. Another set point had to be saved, but at the second time of asking, he converted to take it 10-8.
Overall, it was a clone run thing, but I thought Alcaraz served better, especially on the first serve, compared to the Ruud match, where he was spraying it around. He just has a few more tools in his locker than Rublev, who is a little bit of a Plan A merchant.
I surprised myself. The way that I played today from the baseline, with my serve. I was really calm. I just tried to be focused on my game and what I had to do and forget about that I’m not feeling well and that I’m sick. Once you step on the court, you have to forget everything, your struggles outside the court, and you try to put your focus on hitting a good forehand, a good backhand, and making good tactics against the opponent. I thought I did that pretty well, and surprised myself. Alcaraz on dealing with illness.
Match Stats
| Carlos Alcaraz | Andrey Rublev | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 10 | 7 |
| Double Faults | 3 | 1 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 70% | 70% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 84% (37/44) | 75% (40/53) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 63% (12/19) | 52% (12/23) |
| Break Points Saved | 0% (0/0) | 50% (2/4) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 25% (13/53) | 16% (7/44) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 48% (11/23) | 37% (7/19) |
| Break Points Converted | 50% (2/4) | 0% (0/0) |
| Winners | 33 | 14 |
| Unforced Errors | 26 | 23 |
| Net Points Won | 75% (18/24) | 38% (6/16) |
| Service Points Won | 78% (49/63) | 68% (52/76) |
| Return Points Won | 32% (24/76) | 22% (14/63) |
| Total Points Won | 53% (73/139) | 47% (66/139) |
| Service Games Won | 100% (10/10) | 82% (9/11) |
| Return Games Won | 18% (2/11) | 0% (0/10) |
| Total Games Won | 57% (12/21) | 43% (9/21) |
Highlights
Zverev Zips Past Ruud
Sascha Zverev has won 68 matches so far this season and collected his latest by defeating Casper Ruud 7-6(3), 6-3 in 86 minutes.
Zverev has been in great form since Paris and played solidly throughout his match with the Norwegian. The match was a tightly contested affair, with no break points in the opening set and only fifteen points going the way of the returner.
However, Zverev found an extra gear in the tie break, going up an immediate mini-break and moving ahead for an unassailable 6-1 lead before taking it 7-3.
The second was also relatively close, but Zverev began to pull away on serve, dropping just four points throughout the set.
Ruud, too, held comfortably, dropping just four points until the eighth game. However, he slipped up, and Zverev converted the only break point of the match before serving it out 6-3.
A good match. I thought both of us played quite good tennis. I’m happy with the win. Maybe it was even better than my first match, even though the first match was quite good as well. I’m looking forward to Carlos now on Friday and hopefully more matches at the weekend. Zverev on his win.
Match Stats
| Alexander Zverev | Casper Ruud | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 11 | 3 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 0 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 77% | 80% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 87% (41/47) | 73% (33/45) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 64% (9/14) | 64% (7/11) |
| Break Points Saved | 0% (0/0) | 0% (0/1) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 27% (12/45) | 13% (6/47) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 36% (4/11) | 36% (5/14) |
| Break Points Converted | 100% (1/1) | 0% (0/0) |
| Winners | 28 | 13 |
| Unforced Errors | 19 | 9 |
| Net Points Won | 78% (18/23) | 78% (14/18) |
| Service Points Won | 82% (50/61) | 71% (40/56) |
| Return Points Won | 29% (16/56) | 18% (11/61) |
| Total Points Won | 56% (66/117) | 44% (51/117) |
| Service Games Won | 100% (11/11) | 90% (9/10) |
| Return Games Won | 10% (1/10) | 0% (0/11) |
| Total Games Won | 57% (12/21) | 43% (9/21) |
Highlights
Press Conferences
ATP Finals 2024 Day 5 Schedule
- 14:00: Taylor Fritz (5) vs Alex de Minaur (7)
- 20:30: Jannik Sinner (1) vs Daniil Medvedev (4)