ATP Finals: Casper Ruud beats Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets

After fending off two break points in the opening game, Ruud was the first to break after a series of erratic shots from his opponent.

Although Alcaraz continued to struggle to find the court, he had a chance to equalize in the next game, but on break point his forehand deflected off the net.

Two more chances followed, but Ruud withstood the danger and was rewarded for his determination when Alcaraz once again placed a forehand out of bounds for the double break.

Ruud served the set with an ace to win, only the second set had been won by the 25-year-old Alcaraz – who made 18 unforced errors and landed less than 50% of his first serves in the opening game.

But the Spaniard prevailed in the second set, losing just a single point in his first three service games before breaking for the first time.

He appeared to be heading towards tying the game, but Ruud fought back – securing two breakback points with a shot to the baseline, but only needed one when Alcaraz netted a backhand.

As Alcaraz’s level continued to slip, the invigorated Ruud – who had been just two points away from losing the set – broke out again before securing victory with an ace on his third match point, capping a run of five games in a row.

“It sounds like an excuse and I don’t want to take anything away from what Casper did to win the match,” said 21-year-old Alcaraz.

“Before I came here, I wasn’t doing well at home. When I arrived in Turin, training was going well; I was able to cope with long rallies, competitions and games. And I hoped that things would get better as the days went by.”

“I don’t know if it was because of the nerves of the first game, but I didn’t feel completely good. My stomach was severely restricting my playing and I felt unwell.”

Alcaraz and Ruud will be joined in the John Newcombe group by Germany’s Alexander Zverev – a two-time ATP Finals champion – and Russia’s Andrey Rublev, who will play in Monday’s evening session from 7:30pm GMT.