Dominant in Paris, Alexander Zverev was disarming in Turin today.
Paris champion Zverev slashed his ninth ace to wrap a 6-4, 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev in his ATP Finals opener.
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It was Zverev’s sixth straight win coming after he captured his seventh ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters.
World No. 2 Zverev scored his ATP-best 67th win of the season, evening his 2024 Top 10 record at 6-6.
Launching his quest to become the eighth man to lift the ATP Finals title trophy at least three times, Zverev had a statement serving day.
The former Olympic gold medal champion served 70 percent, won 80 percent of both first and second serve points and did not face a break point in a 72-minute victory. Zverev more than doubled Rublev in winners—25 to 11—joining Casper Ruud, who upset Carlos Alcaraz, atop the John Newcombe Group in round-robin play.
“Look you’re playing against one of the best eight players in the world—apart from Novak who is unfortunately not here,” Zverev told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “You have to start quick as well. I did that today.
“I’m very happy with today’s match. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
In their first meeting since the 2023 ATP Finals round-robin, both men were rocketing serves at the outset.
Afterward, Rublev said Zverev is the most dominant server he's faced all year.
"He played unbelievable match. The way he was serving, it's not much you can do," Rublev told the media in Turin. "Now he have at least from all the players that I play this year, his serve is the best so far.
"I don't know. He's really on a high confidence and he played really well match. Not much to say. I think I did a great effort, yeah. But today he was better than me."
Clad in black, Rublev threw down three straight love holds, winning 13 consecutive points on serve, until Zverev struck in the seventh game.
Whipping deep drives, Zverev coaxed three floated forehands in a row breaking at 15 for 4-3.
That was the lone break point of the set and Zverev, who won 14 of 18 first-serve points in the set, made it stand.
On his second set point, Zverev rapped a body serve into the hip to close the opening set in 34 minutes.
The 27-year-old Rublev essentially broke himself in the second set. Rublev netted a running forehand to face break point in the ninth game.
Though the forehand is Rublev’s most damaging weapon, it let him down in both service breaks today. Rublev sent a forehand long as Zverev broke for a 5-4 second-set lead.
Zverev zapped his ninth ace down the T to complete a 72-minute victory.