ZVEREV CHASING BENCHMARK SETTERS

World No. 2 says Sinner, Alcaraz had better year as he beats Rublev in season-ender

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No matter how the ATP Finals go for Alexander Zverev, the world No. 2 has insisted that he is constantly seeking to improve his game and match up to top-ranked Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

On Nov 11, the German began the season-ending tournament in Turin, Italy, by dispatching Andrey Rublev of Russia 6-4, 6-4 in their round-robin opener.

In the earlier match, Norway's Casper Ruud romped through the opening set before fighting back from 5-2 behind in the second to beat an out-of-sorts Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5.

Zverev had last faced Rublev at the same stage of the ATP Finals in 2023 and won by the same score.

The 27-year-old, a champion of this event in 2018 and 2021, moved to second in the John Newcombe Group after his win, behind Ruud.

The recent winner of the Paris Masters 1000 has climbed back to No. 2 in the world this season. After an injury-hit 2022 season, he had briefly dropped out of the top 25 in 2023.

"I was never sure I was going to get back to this level," Zverev said on court.