Carlos Alcaraz won his first match of the ATP Finals in Turin when he beat Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-2.
The Spanish tennis sensation earlier tightened his belts against Alexander Zverev in his opening match of the tournament.
However, he is now satisfied with his performance against the Russian player.
“I will have to keep playing at this level if I want to have a chance in the tournament. I felt good on the training ground in the run-up to the game and I think I did my job very well now,” said the 20-year-old player.
If everything goes according to plan, he can still qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament, but he will only have to get past another Russian – this time Daniil Medvedev – in his final group match on Friday.
According to Alcaraz, he must maintain a difficult balance to taste success in Turin.
“You have to be relaxed and not let the pressure get you down, but at the same time you also don’t hesitate to dish out fearless play on the court.
“You have to make your mark on the court first and you have to be more aggressive than your opponent.”
In today’s matches, Novak Djokovic – just like Alcaraz – will try to get back on the winning track after losing to Jannik Sinner.
The world’s number one player will cross rackets with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, while Sinner plays Holger Rune.
Results:
Daniil Medvedev beat Alexander Zverev 7-6 and 6-4
Carlos Alcaraz beat Andrey Rublev 7-5 and 6-2.
Today’s terms:
Novak Djokovic against Hubert Hurkacz
Jannik Sinner against Holger Rune.
