MATCH REPORT | 2023 ATP Finals: Alexander ZVEREV battles past Carlos ALCARAZ in opening Red Group clash

Alexander Zverev battled past Carlos Alcaraz in a close-knit thriller to kick-start the Red Group at the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin, winning 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4.

The German player has shown a lot of resilience this season, coming back from injury earlier in the year to pull off some impressive results, including a run to the semi-finals at the French Open and wins at the German Open and Chengdu Open. This all contributed to his return to the Top 10 in the ATP Ranking and his qualification for the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy.

However, taking on World No. 2 and reigning Wimbledon champion Alcaraz as his first opponent in the Group Stage would not be easy. Nevertheless, Zverev pulled off an early break in the opening set, demonstrating that he was not intimidated by the competition.

Alcaraz was able to break back and won the first set on a tiebreak, and Zverev looked to be in trouble at the beginning of the second with his first service game going to a deuce. Nevertheless, he was able to hold and this proved to be crucial for the outcome of the match.

After this, Zverev fought back to take control of the second set, breaking Alcaraz and then consolidating it with a W-0 hold in his next service game. He managed to stay ahead, successfully serving for the set after he built up three set points.

Although Alcaraz came into the final set with aggression to hold his first service game, Zverev looked to be more comfortable in the decider. He got a chance to break in the Spaniard's second service game but Alcaraz's precision saw him cling on and hold. Despite this, Zverev pushed through the next time around and got a crucial break to get ahead.

Alcaraz continued to try and get back into the match, taking Zverev's next service game to a deuce, but it was too late as the 26-year-old held and stayed ahead until he successfully served for the match. The Red Group will continue later today, Monday, November 13, with Daniil Medvedev taking on Andrey Rublev.