Ruud makes fast start, holds off Alcaraz comeback
Heading into their clash, Ruud paid long odds of $6.25 at PlayUp to defeat Alcaraz.
The first four points of the match followed this trend, with Alcaraz racing out to a 40-15 lead on Ruud’s serve. However, the Norwegian quickly saved both break opportunities and held serve, before launching an attack of his own on his opponent’s serve. Breaks in the fourth and sixth games gave Ruud a 5-1 lead, which he had no issues converting to a set lead with a love hold.
Down a set with barely half an hour up on the clock, Alcaraz found his groove midway through the second set. The Spaniard broke Ruud in the sixth game, before holding for 5-2.
Just when it looked like the match was heading for a third set and an inevitable win for the world No 3, Ruud capitalised on another erroneous game from Alcaraz, breaking back for 5-4. The break would be the first of two in the set for Ruud, who went on a five-game tear to seal the set 7-5 and capture his maiden top-three victory on hardcourts.
Alcaraz suffering from cold in Turin
After the match, Ruud explained that while he was thrilled with the result, he knew that Alcaraz was not 100 percent physically.
“I knew he was dealing with a bit of a cold,” he said. “I saw him sniffling in the back area and with a tissue for his nose, so that’s a sign that maybe physically he won’t be necessarily at 100 percent. Of course, that is sad, and not good for him, but at the same time it is part of the game.
“I tried to make him play rallies and do my best, but it’s not easy because when you kind of know that someone is not 100 percent, maybe you get stressed yourself. You think, ‘This is a really big chance for me to maybe try to win’.
“So, I just tried to stay in my world, the moment, and luckily, I got a good start. I got a break early and kept it, and in the second set I was able to turn it around with some good tennis at the end.”
Alcaraz’s physical issues were obvious, with the 21-year-old spraying 34 unforced errors over the course of the match and converting just one of six break points.
Title odds shift dramatically following Alcaraz upset
Ruud’s victory over Alcaraz has led to a major reshuffle in the title odds at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz – who was second-favourite to win pre-tournament with odds of 3.00 at Bet365 – now falls to the third line of betting at 6.50. Ruud, meanwhile, sees his odds shortened dramatically, from 41.00 to 15.00, a jump from eighth to fifth.
Alcaraz will now need to beat both Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev and rely on other results if he is to make the semi-finals. In the Monday’s other match, Zverev beat Rublev 6-4, 6-4, meaning that one more victory for the German will be enough to make the semi-finals in Turin.
Jannik Sinner is now the heavy favourite to win the title, with the Italian paying just 1.77 to lift his eighth title of the season.
