ATP Finals: Zverev Beats Alcaraz to Set Up Semifinal Showdown with Fritz

Alexander Zverev of Germany outplayed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a one-hour, 57-minute encounter to top the John Newcombe Group and seal a semi-final meeting with American Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals here on Friday.

Alexander Zverev's victory furthered late-season momentum seen recently in the German star but left Alcaraz to nervously await developments since the advancement to the next round will be on what happens in this evening's match. The German extended his winning run to eight matches by sinking in straight Carlos Alcaraz.

Zverev was meeting Alcaraz for the first time since the latter's heart-wrenching five-set defeat in the Roland Garros championship match, producing an impressive performance to outclass his rival and guarantee he will finish the year as No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

"He beat me too many times this year in important matches, so I'm happy that I got this one," reflected Zverev after his triumph. "Obviously I feel like we have a pretty good rivalry with a great friendship as well, so it's always nice to play against him… Just sharing the court with him. He's a great guy and I'm looking forward to the next matches with him as well."

Infosys ATP Stats says two-time ATP Finals champion Zverev hit nine aces and won 73 percent of points behind his first serve against Alcaraz. Zverev hasn't lost a serve since his victory in his Rolex Paris Masters final over Ugo Humbert.

With his victory, Zverev sealed a Group Newcombe win and set himself up for an all-important semi-final with fifth seed Taylor Fritz, leaving the prospects of Alcaraz at this season-ending tournament hanging in the balance. The Spaniard still has a route to progress via percentage of games won, but only if Andrey Rublev can defeat Casper Ruud in straight sets on Friday evening.

Zverev has now collected a Tour-leading 69 wins in 2024, a number one ahead of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and the most in a season since Andy Murray won 78 in 2016 -- the year the Briton won the ATP Finals and finished as ATP Year-End No. 1. After defeating Alcaraz in the ATP Finals group stage for the second successive year, Zverev now leads the Spaniard 6-5 in the pair's ATP head-to-head series.