Carlos Alcaraz has his first win, Daniil Medvedev wins ticket to semi-finals

Carlos Alcaraz beat Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-2 to claim his first win at the 2023 ATP Finals, keeping his hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.

ATP Finals 2023: Carlos Alcaraz có chiến thắng đầu tiên, Daniil Medvedev giành tấm vé vào bán kết

Carlos Alcaraz competes at the 2023 ATP Finals. (Source: Getty Images)

After losing to Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz found his form again in the match against Rublev and won after 74 minutes of play. The victory over the Russian opponent helped the Spaniard end a streak of 3 consecutive losses.

Alcaraz, who lost to Grigor Dimitrov in Shanghai, Roman Safiullin in Paris and Zverev in his first match at the ATP Finals, is 64-11 this season.

Alcaraz said after the match: "This was a match at a completely different level to what I have shown. 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 perform 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 some 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 winning serve games, Rublev won very few points when his opponent served.

After successfully saving a break in the ninth game, the Russian lost the 11th game, creating a turning point for Alcaraz to win 7-5. The second seed only dropped 5 points in 6 service games in the first set, winning a 95% percentage of points on the first serve (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 accurate, beautiful shots for a long time.

With a break in the first game and then another break in the seventh, Alcaraz cruised to a quick 6-2 victory. In four service games in the second set, Alcaraz dropped only 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 beaten 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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