Alcaraz wins first, Medvedev enters ATP Finals semi-finals

After losing to Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz found form against Rublev and won in 74 minutes. The victory over the Russian ended a three-match losing streak for the Spaniard. Alcaraz lost to Grigor Dimitrov in Shanghai, Roman Safiullin in Paris and Zverev in his first match at the ATP Finals, and he has a 64-11 record this season.

Alcaraz said after the match: "This was a completely different level of play to what I've been doing. This is the level I have to play at if I want to give myself a chance in this great tournament. Yesterday was a great day for me to train and find the level I need to show today, I think I did quite well. I'm very happy with my performance."

Alcaraz missed last year's tournament through injury, but this is the Spaniard's first appearance in the eight-player tournament. He is seeking his seventh title of the season and first since Wimbledon.

"I needed a little bit of comfort," said Alcaraz. "The match was very fast, I had to hit early shots. You need to be more aggressive than your opponent, I think that's important if you want to have a chance in this tournament."

Alcaraz got into the rhythm of the match well, the Spaniard put pressure on his opponent with quick service games, Rublev won very few points when his opponent served. After successfully saving the break in the 9th game, the Russian lost the 11th game, creating a turning point for Alcaraz to win 7-5. The No. 2 seed only dropped 5 points in 6 service games in the first set, winning the first serve point rate up to 95% (21/22).

With a good tempo, Alcaraz continued to push forward in the second set, attacking Rublev with powerful shots to force the 26-year-old into errors. Alcaraz also moved comfortably on the court and hit many beautiful, accurate shots for a long time. With a break in the first game and then another break in the seventh game, Alcaraz cruised to a quick 6-2 victory. In the four service games in the second set, Alcaraz only dropped two points.

Daniil Medvedev booked his first semi-final spot at the ATP Finals with a 7-6(7), 6-4 win over Alexander Zverev. The Russian had earlier won against compatriot Rublev in his opening match. In the final round of the Red Group, Alcaraz will play Medvedev, while Zverev will face Rublev.

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