Alcaraz caught his breath during the ATP Finals. On the field, thanks to the nasal bandage which allowed him to breathe more easily and off it with the victory over Rublev. He has joined an elusive tournament in Spanish tennis for the past 26 years, since Corretja lifted the trophy in 1998. Alcaraz dreams of receiving his replacement.
Even if to get to Sunday, there are still days and tests to pass. The first is heads or tails. This Friday, against Zverev, he has his first match point. A match that must be won no matter what to continue in the ATP finals, although even victory would not be enough to reach the semi-finals.
Your group is open. Precisely his rival, Zverev, is the best placed to get the ticket, his total of victories in the first two matches corroborates it, but even he is not assured of the ranking. It will depend on the result against Alcaraz… and that of Rublev and Ruud. The classification criteria are straightforward.
Only the first two exceed the group. The one with the most victories advances to the semi-finals. In the event of a tie, the direct confrontations come into play, the percentage of sets won first and the percentage of games won last. The group is led by Zverev with two wins, two sets won and none lost.
They are followed by Alcaraz and Ruud, tied for victories and sets won. Two scenarios classify Alcaraz. If he beats Zverev and Rublev does the same with Ruud, he will be first in the group and if he beats Zverev in straight sets and Ruud beats Rublev in three sets. The direction of the group would depend on the percentage of matches won.
These two courses directly qualify Alcaraz, but he could be excluded even if he beats Zverev. If he does it in three sets and Ruud beats Rublev in two, it would be the Norwegian who would accompany the German, since the Murcian would have a worse percentage of sets. On the other hand, a defeat may not be definitive. It sounds complicated, but the calculator says so.
If Alcaraz loses in three sets to Zverev, but Rublev beats Ruud in two, the Spaniard would qualify for the semifinals if his playing percentage is higher. In any case, his victory against Rublev was vital. Alcaraz beat the Russian tennis player after overcoming a viral illness that prevented him from training the day before the match. His victory allowed him to force a match point which he must win to continue in Turin.
