With Zverev’s victory, Ruud can now afford to lose to Andrej Rublev later on Friday as long as the Norwegian wins one of three sets, according to a overview tennis journalist Jose Morgado has shared in social media.
Zverev beat Alcaraz with the set numbers 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 and secured first place in the pool. Thus, he will meet American Taylor Fritz in Saturday’s semi-final. Ruud and Rublev are playing to meet world number one Jannik Sinner on his home turf in Turin.
Alcaraz is virtually out of the playoffs with the defeat. He is dependent on Rublev winning in two sets and Ruud not winning so many games.
The Spaniard struggled with illness in the introduction, where Ruud lost. Alcaraz then beat Rublev, but then lost a close match to Zverev in the final round.
Ruud meets Rublev at 8.30pm on Friday evening. The semi-finals take place on Saturday, while the final is on Sunday.
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