ATP Finals – Upsets galore as Zverev shocks Nadal
THE theme of upsets continued on Day 2 of the ATP Finals with two shock results, none bigger than seventh seed German Alexander Zverev taking down world number one, Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the second match of the day. In what will be his final tournament of the year – deciding to bypass the Davis Cup Final the following week, Zverev was on fire against the top seed, dismissing him 6-2 6-4.
While many have touted Zverev as a future world number one, his potential was on full display in London smashing his way to a massive 29 winners compared to Nadal’s 13. The normally unflappable Spanish star had no answers to the German’s serve, winning just 11 per cent of Zverev’s first serve as the German put down 11 aces at 71 per cent efficiency. Zverev broke Nadal three times during the 84-minute match, whereas Nadal did not even get the opportunity to do so. The result threw a curveball at the ATP Finals semi-finals, with the group favourite being handed a smashing.
In the other game, sixth seed Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated fourth seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev in a tight straight sets win, 7-6 6-4. While not as massive as the Zverev upset, it showed that there is plenty to get excited about regarding the next generation who will eventually take over from the current legends. Tsitsipas was almost unbeatable on serve, winning 88 per cent of his first service points compared to Medvedev’s 71 per cent. The Greek’s relentless attacking saw him set up four break points but Medvedev’s defensive work saved three of them. Having survived the opening set tiebreaker 7-5, Tsitsipas made his move in the ninth game of the second set, breaking Medvedev for the first time and then serving out the match.
The two winners of Tsitsipas and Zverev will face off in Round 2 of the Agassi Group stage, while Nadal and Medvedev will play to try and stay in contention for a semi-finals spot.
Day 2 Results – Agassi Group:
[6] Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated [4] Daniil Medvedev 7-6 6-4
[7] Alexander Zverev defeated [1] Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-4
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