Norway’s Casper Ruud secured a straight-sets win over Carlos Alcaraz on Monday, marking a poor start for the Spanish player’s quest for his first ATP Finals title.
Ruud dominated the first set before coming back from a 5-2 deficit in the second to triumph 6-1, 7-5 in Turin.
World number three Alcaraz, who claimed titles at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year, committed 34 unforced errors in an unusually inconsistent performance. This victory marked Ruud’s first win against Alcaraz in their five encounters thus far.
“I had two good experiences in Turin previously. This time of year hasn’t been favourable for me, but hopefully I’ve saved some victories for this week, and I started well,” said Ruud, the 2022 runner-up, who had faced seven losses in eight matches leading up to this event.
Heading into his second match in the John Newcombe group against Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, Ruud is already in a solid position to advance to the semi-finals for the third consecutive year at this season-ending event.
Alcaraz will be eliminated if he loses to second-ranked Alexander Zverev, who will play Rublev in his opening match later on Monday.
Third-seeded Alcaraz quickly fell behind 4-1, losing his serve in the fourth game and missing three break points in the subsequent game. Ruud extended his lead with a double-break as Alcaraz sent a careless forehand wide and wrapped up the first set in 36 minutes with a service game to love.
The four-time Grand Slam champion started the second set with improved form, generating his sixth break point of the match with a signature forehand winner.
He capitalised on the opportunity with a precise volley and then established a 5-2 advantage with a solid hold. However, Ruud showed resilience, forcing Alcaraz to serve for the set before breaking back to even the score.
Alcaraz’s errors began to surface again, and a wayward forehand followed by an excellent return from Ruud allowed the sixth seed to serve for the victory. Ruud finished the match with style on his third match point, delivering an ace and completing a run of five consecutive games.