🔗 Share this article

Overview

The inherent challenges of round-robin tennis often result in by this stage of the ATP World Tour Finals viewers are commonly puzzled, scrambling about for a computing device and trying to work out the complex permutations of qualification. Yet tonight’s match between Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime, thankfully, is simple. It’s a straight shootout: the victor sets up a semifinal battle against Carlos Alcaraz at this year-end tournament; the loser goes home.

Zverev is the predicted winner for this: the elite athlete is the more experienced competitor, has been the champion at this tournament twice before and holds the advantage in their personal record with six victories against three defeats, securing victories in both their past encounters on an covered hard surface.

But … this is the surface on which the Canadian has won most of his championships, he is in great form after his remarkable turnaround against Ben Shelton on Wednesday and he took out the German in the US Championships early stage in August. Plus, conditions are faster in Turin than at the US Open venue, which works even more in the Canadian's favor.

Should Zverev be cautious, like he was against the Italian, and Auger-Aliassime takes it to the European player with his powerful serves and confident shots, there is a strong chance the young Canadian – the former prodigy who was once in line before Alcaraz and Sinner to replace the Big Three – who earns the uncertain distinction of competing with the world No 1 on Saturday.

The match starts: at approximately 8:30 PM in Turin, 19:30 Greenwich Mean Time.