Alcaraz stunned by Ruud in ATP Finals Opener

TURIN,Italy: Carlos Alcaraz’s bid for his first ATP Finals title suffered an early setback as he was defeated 6-1, 7-5 by Norway’s Casper Ruud in his opening round-robin match. The Spanish third seed, who has had a remarkable season, struggled to find his rhythm and succumbed to uncharacteristic errors, allowing Ruud to take control of the match from the start.

While Alcaraz still has a chance to advance in the tournament due to the round-robin format, he now faces an uphill battle with little room for error. Reflecting on his performance, Alcaraz acknowledged that he could have performed better, saying, “I could just be better. I could play better. Obviously I could feel better on court.” He has reportedly been under the weather in recent days, which may have impacted his play.

Ruud, who had lost all four of his previous encounters with Alcaraz, looked confident throughout the match, saving break points in the opening game and maintaining control in the first set as Alcaraz struggled with consistency. The Norwegian’s victory marks an impressive start to his ATP Finals campaign, while Alcaraz will need to raise his level to stay in contention for the year-end title.