Wednesday sees the completion of the second round in round-robin play.
Second-seeded Alexander Zverev is a two-time champion of this event, and is the favorite to be atop the Newcombe group by the end of the week. On Wednesday he faces Casper Ruud, who has advanced to the semifinals or better in each of his two prior appearances at the ATP Finals.
The other singles match on Day 4 features Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev playing to earn their first win of the week.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting the other matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play begins at 11:30am local time.
Alexander Zverev (2) vs. Casper Ruud (6) – Not Before 8:30pm
2024 has been the winningest season in the career of Zverev, who picked up his 67th match win on Monday, in a straight-set victory over Andrey Rublev. Coming off his seventh Masters 1000 title two weeks ago in Paris, Sascha is on a six-match winning streak, and has only been broken twice across those six matches. This is the German’s seventh appearance at this event, and he’s reached the semifinals three times previously.
Ruud’s victory on Monday was his 50th of the season, yet it was only his second win out of his last 10 matches. Casper habitually plays his best during the first half of the year, especially on clay, but he also has not been the same player since battling illness this summer. His opening win here came over a player who is currently battling illness, as Alcaraz has been sick since arriving in Turin, and was clearly hampered during their match.
Zverev is 3-2 against Ruud, and 2-1 on hard courts. Their last two meetings took place in the semifinals of the two most recent French Opens, with Casper winning in straight sets last year, but Sascha winning in four sets this year. Based on recent form, and on an indoor hard court, Zverev is a clear favorite on Wednesday. However, Ruud always seems to raise his level for this tournament, and he may rediscoverer some confidence after his victory on Monday, even with Alcaraz compromised.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic (1) vs. Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden (6) – Arevalo and Pavic may be the top seeds, but they are now on a five-match losing streak, dating back to the US Open semifinals. When they faced Bopanna and Ebden back in April on clay, they won in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs. Andrey Rublev (8) – These players have split their two previous meetings, though their hard court encounter went to Alcaraz, which occurred a year ago at this same event. But if Carlitos’ health hasn’t improved since Monday, this is a good opportunity for Andrey to avenge last year’s loss.
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori (4) vs. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz (8) – Both teams won their opening matches in straight sets, so the winners on Wednesday will take a commanding lead in this round-robin group. When these teams most recently met, in the round of 16 at the US Open, Krawietz and Puetz were victorious.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
