Thu Nov 14 03:10:46 UTC 2024: ## Alcaraz Overcomes Illness to Revive ATP Finals Hopes
**Turin, Italy -** Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz overcame a bout of respiratory illness to secure a vital victory over Russia’s Andrey Rublev at the ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who was seen wearing pink nasal tape during the match, won in straight sets, 6-3 7-6(8), keeping his hopes of a tournament title alive.
Alcaraz, who was forced to abandon a practice session on Tuesday, admitted he was surprised by his strong performance. “I just tried to focus on my game and what I had to do, not the fact that I wasn’t feeling well,” he said. “Once you step on court, you have to forget that.”
The world number three looked sharp, particularly in the first set where he broke Rublev’s serve to take control of the match. The second set was a tight affair, going to a tiebreak where Alcaraz fought off two set points before securing the win.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev continued his strong late-season form, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud 7-6(3) 6-3 in the other John Newcombe group match. This victory marks his second win of the week and further emphasizes his impressive performance in Turin.
With Zverev’s victory, the group remains wide open. Alcaraz will likely need to defeat Zverev in his last group match on Friday to secure qualification. The outcome of Rublev’s match against Ruud will also be crucial, as it could lead to a tiebreaker situation if both players win their final matches.
The Ilie Nastase group will be decided on Thursday, with all four players still in contention for the semi-finals. Jannik Sinner faces Daniil Medvedev, while Taylor Fritz takes on Alex De Minaur.
First Piper 