🔗 Share this article

Introduction

The occupational hazards of tournament pool play typically lead to during this phase of the ATP Finals viewers are commonly puzzled, scrambling about for a calculator and trying to work out the mind-boggling qualification scenarios. However tonight’s match between Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime, thankfully, is easy. This is a winner-takes-all affair: the winner earns a semifinal contest against Alcaraz at this season-ending event; the loser is eliminated.

Zverev is the predicted winner for this: the elite athlete is the more accomplished player, has previously won at this event on two prior occasions and leads their head-to-head six matches to three, securing victories in both the games they've played on an covered hard surface.

But … this is the surface on which the Canadian has won the bulk of his trophies, he is full of confidence after his remarkable turnaround against Ben Shelton on recently and he defeated the German in the US Open initial phase in August. Furthermore, conditions are faster in Turin than at the US Open venue, which provides an additional advantage in Auger-Aliassime's benefit.

Should Zverev be cautious, as he did against the Italian, and Auger-Aliassime takes it to the European player with his powerful serves and bold strategy, there is a strong chance the 25-year-old Canadian – the earlier standout who was earlier slated before Alcaraz and Sinner to take over from the tennis icons – who obtains the dubious honour of playing against the top-ranked player on Saturday.

Play begins: at approximately 8:30 PM in Turin, 7.30pm GMT.