Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz shrugged off illness to power past Russia’s Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, keeping his ATP Finals hopes alive with a dominant performance.
Despite battling respiratory issues in Turin and sporting pink nasal tape, the four-time Grand Slam champion cruised to a 6-3, 7-6 (8) win.
The third seed, determined to claim his first ATP Finals title, appeared far sharper than in his opening loss to Norway’s Casper Ruud.
After the first six games were split, Alcaraz broke Rublev’s serve with a scorching forehand winner and reeled off five successive games to take control of the match.
World No. 8 Rublev, who also lost his opening match to Alexander Zverev, stayed with Alcaraz in the second set and nearly earned two break points at 2-2 but missed a routine shot after chasing a drop shot.
In a high-energy conclusion to the match, Alcaraz fended off two set points in the tiebreaker before sealing victory.
Rublev has now lost six straight matches at the ATP Finals in straight sets since reaching the semifinals in 2022.
Ruud will face world No. 2 Zverev later Wednesday, with both players seeking their second win.