Preview ATP Finals Day Four: Sinner and Zverev clash for command while Shelton and Auger-Aliassime look to get campaigns up and running

The Bjorn Borg group continues on Day Four of the ATP Tour Finals, with two exciting matchups. Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime will look to get their first win on the board while Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev are set to battle it out for authority in this group.

It is the second round of group matches in this group, closely following the Jimmy Connors group. Every win matters in this event, with chances of qualification for these players either on the brink of being confirmed or collapsing in this brutal format.

The pair of North Americans got their campaign off with a negative result. In his first match in the event, Shelton had chances against Zverev but was not able to get over the line. After being on the receiving end of a double-break in the first set, he forced a tiebreaker in the second. Three set points came and with Shelton soon leaving the court thinking what could have been.

A big factor in this defeat was his poor form against the serve, not even creating one break point opportunity. He will have to be much better if he is to have a chance against his Canadian opponent.

The US Open semi-finalist struggled through injury in his clash against Sinner. He called the physio twice for attention to his leg but managed to soldier through. He has the slim advantage over Shelton that he has already faced the world number two, but the injury concern will be looming over his head. He will also need to vastly his game when not serving. He failed to create any openings against Sinner, something he simply cannot afford against Shelton.

Their serve on this surface will once again be crucial. Both players have been highly lauded for this in the past but cannot let it slip at such an important time. Another loss and their hopes of challenging for the title will be severely dented.

Surprisingly, this will be only the second meeting on court between the pair. Auger-Aliassime has the upper hand based off the head-to-head record, coming out on top against Shelton in the 2024 French Open in straight sets. This is a completely different match for the duo. From the clay courts of Paris to the hard courts in Turin. The pressure is on to turn their 2025 ATP Finals campaign around.

The two winners in the Bjorn Borg will lock horns for command in the group. A second win should all-but see them confirm their spot in the last-16 depending on other results.

Sinner is backing up the strong shouts he has received of being the favourite for the event. His indoor hardcourt streak has risen to 27 matches, and he has done that while looking unbeatable. His aggressive style of play which normally involves some huge shots gives him the advantage, with a much-improved serve making it at times impossible for his opponents to get the advantage when trying desperately to clinch a break.

Two of his recent wins in this incredible streak came against the hapless German. One in the Vienna Open final and the other in the Paris Masters semi-final, where he only managed to win one measly game.

The world number three knows how to win this event, having succeeded in it twice back in 2018 and 2021. A win will help his case for a second consecutive semi-final appearance, but he will need to find his best game and possibly a little bit more to unsettle the imperious Italian.

Beside from the two recent meetings, Sinner has the slight edge over Zverev. He lead the head-to-head 5-4 thanks to those two victories. Sinner's last defeat to Zverev came in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open. Since then the 24-year-old has only failed to reach a major semi-final once. While a victory is not necessary, it will go a long way to relieving pressure off that third and final match.