Alexander Zverev Takes On Auger-Aliassime in Season-Ending Championships Clash
Preamble
The occupational hazards of group stage tennis mean at this point of the ATP World Tour Finals fans frequently find themselves scratching our heads, searching around for a calculator and trying to work out the mind-boggling qualification scenarios. Yet tonight’s match between Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime, fortunately, is straightforward. It’s a straight shootout: the victor sets up a semi-final contest against Alcaraz at this year-end tournament; the loser heads out.
The German is the frontrunner for this: the elite athlete is the more experienced competitor, has been the champion at this competition previously on two instances and is ahead in their direct encounters with six victories against three defeats, having won both the games they've played on an covered hard surface.
However … this particular court on which Felix has secured the majority of his titles, he’s riding a high after his impressive recovery against Ben Shelton on Wednesday and he eliminated the German in the US Open early stage in late summer. Plus, conditions are faster in the host city than at Flushing Meadows, which provides an additional advantage in AA’s favor.
If Zverev holds back, like he was against the Italian, and the Canadian presses the European player with his stinging serves and bold strategy, it might very well be the North American athlete – the former prodigy who was previously positioned before Alcaraz and Sinner to replace the Big Three – who secures the questionable privilege of facing the world No 1 the next day.
Play begins: at around 20:30 in the host city, 19:30 Greenwich Mean Time.