Carlos Alcaraz was left without a protective net after losing the match Alexander Zverev in his ATP Finals debut. A new collapse on the second day of the Red Group almost means saying goodbye to the possibility of playing in the semifinals on Saturday.
A defeat against the Russian would be a mathematical goodbye Andrey Rublev was combined with a triumph of Daniel Medvedev about Alexander Zverev.
It will be necessary to make calculations of sets for and against if the German beats the Russian in the evening match, at 9:00 pm
Alcaraz schedule repeats, face off at 2:30 pm (Movistar Plus+/Directos Web Mundo Deportivo) with Rublev. Accounts aside, rediscovering victory would be a double victory, as it would mean breaking a bad streak on the circuit and reaching Friday, against Daniel Medvedevwith the option to qualify.
It will be a direct rivalry Alcaraz-Medvedev if he came to an equal standing with the Russian (one game won and one lost). The winner is in the semifinals, no need to make more numbers
If Medvedev beats Zverev now, on Friday there could even be a tie of two winners between the three, deciding the set. If the Russian wins in two sets, he will have a guaranteed place in the semifinals.
The tie between the two players was broken in favor of whoever won the match between them in the group stage. If the tie is three-way, considering that they have all played three matches, the percentage of sets is decided first, followed by the percentage of games.
You’ll reach for the calculator when the session closes today. Treat the match as if it were an eliminator, as it has been for the rest of the season. After three losses in a row, something I didn’t know on the ATP Tour Carlos Alcaraz, wants to break the dynamic as soon as possible. He granted Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16 in Shanghai, fell in Paris debut against Roman Safiullin and couldn’t cope Alexander Zverev on Monday in Turin, losing 6-7 (3), 6-3 and 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz, 20 years old and world No. 2, at least he scratched a set. Too bad it wasn’t taken Andrey Rublev26 years old and number 5. He fainted in front of his friends and countrymen. Daniel Medvedev6-4 and 6-2.
Rublev, semi-finalist of the tournament in 2022, has a negative balance here of 4-7. He arrived in good shape after the final in Shanghai and the semifinals in Vienna and Paris-Bercy, but he hit a wall.
Vital match this afternoon, which will be the first official match between the two. The two joint top-10s are unusual. Alcaraz checked Rublev in the Italian town: “His power in every blow is amazing. His forehand is one of the best on the circuit. Hit the ball 100% on every shot, for three, four hours, if necessary. I will have to be really focused on every game if I want to give myself a chance.”
It is a fight against the rival, but also against oneself. The campaign has been going on for a long time. “The year has been very long and demanding. I need to improve to reach this point of the year in a better state, especially mentally. I attribute these defeats mainly to mental fatigue, from -reached a very high demand for a very long time,” he said.
Adding to the fact that it wasn’t the best was “the fastest track of the year, for sure. I don’t understand why the hard court was slow in the previous tournaments.” A factor that weighed the importance of serving.
Alcaraz, head or tail in a competition without a break: “Here every match can be a Grand Slam final,” he acknowledges.
Source: La Verdad
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