Carlos Alcaraz started his journey at the 2024 ATP Finals with a shocking defeat against Casper Ruud in straight sets (6-1, 7-5). While he was clearly struggling with illness, the Spaniard will now have to secure his spot in the knockout round with a win in his next match.
Luckily for the Wimbledon champion, due to Alexander Zverev’s win over Andrey Rublev, he still has a chance to qualify for the semifinals, and even win the group John Newcombe. However, in order for that to happen, he needs some specific results.
On Wednesday, he needs a straight-sets victory over Rublev, and Zverev would have to defeat Ruud. Then, on Friday, he would need to win against the German and hope Rublev defeats the Norwegian.
In that case, Alcaraz can qualify to the semis as the winner of the group, with Zverev qualifying as second. However, in case of a Ruud victory on Friday, there would be a triple tie between Alcaraz, Zverev and Ruud.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain looks on between games in his match against Casper Ruud of Norway (Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Of course, it will all depend on Wednesday’s match. Alcaraz, who last year lost in the semifinals against Novak Djokovic, is 1-1 in the head-to-head with Rublev. So, it’s going to be an open match for both players.
Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner and Zverev, also favorites to win
In the same group, Zverev, who is coming from lifting the Paris Masters, clinched his 67th win at tour level this year. The German, who won the tournament in 2018 and 2021, has his eyes on a third title.
Meanwhile, in the Ilie Nastase group, Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz started the tournament with the right foot. The Italian, World No. 1, defeated Alex De Minaur in straight sets, while Fritz didn’t have trouble against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday. They both will face each other on Tuesday to seek the top of the group.
