Ruud stuns out-of-sorts Alcaraz at ATP Finals

Casper Ruud stunned an out-of-sorts Carlos Alcaraz to begin his ATP Finals campaign with a straight-set victory in Turin.

The Norwegian sixth seed won 6-1 7-5 for his 50th victory of the season, yet only his third in 12 matches.

In a below-par performance, French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz hit 34 unforced errors and fell to his first defeat by Ruud in five meetings.

“It’s only one match but it’s definitely one of the best wins of the season for me,” said Ruud, who suggested Spanish third seed Alcaraz was struggling with a cold.

“I feel very happy. I think we’ve all seen Carlos play better tennis than he did today but I took care of my chances.

“I’ve not been oozing with confidence in the last weeks or months so it was a great win for me and hopefully I can build on it.”

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

Though Alcaraz continued to struggle to find the court, he had the opportunity to level in the next game but at break point saw his forehand deflect out off the net cord.

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

Ruud served out the set to love with an ace, only the second set he had taken from Alcaraz – who hit 18 unforced errors and landed less than 50% of his first serves in the opener.

But the Spaniard reset for the second set, dropping just a single point across his first three service games before breaking for the first time.

He looked to be cruising towards levelling the match but Ruud fought back – earning himself two break back points with a lob on to the baseline, but needing only one as Alcaraz netted a backhand.

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

Alcaraz and Ruud are joined in the John Newcombe Group by German Alexander Zverev – a two-time ATP Finals champion – and Russian Andrey Rublev, who play in Monday’s evening session from 19:30 GMT.