Alexander Zverev Faces Felix Auger-Aliassime in ATP Finals Clash
Preamble
The typical complications of group stage tennis mean by this stage of the ATP Finals fans frequently find themselves puzzled, scrambling about for a calculator and trying to work out the brain-busting permutations of qualification. But this evening's contest between Zverev and Auger-Aliassime, thankfully, is straightforward. It’s a straight shootout: the victor sets up a final four matchup against Carlos Alcaraz at this season-ending event; the defeated player goes home.
The German is the frontrunner for this: the elite athlete is the more experienced competitor, has claimed the title at this competition twice before and leads their head-to-head with six victories against three defeats, winning both the games they've played on an covered hard surface.
However … this particular court on which Felix has secured most of his championships, he is full of confidence after his remarkable turnaround against Ben Shelton on recently and he took out the German in the US Open initial phase in August. Plus, conditions are faster in the host city than at Flushing Meadows, which works even more in the Canadian's favor.
If the German player is reserved, similar to his performance against Sinner, and Felix aggressively challenges the German with his effective service game and fearless play, it might very well be the 25-year-old Canadian – the earlier standout who was once in line before Alcaraz and Sinner to replace the legendary trio – who earns the dubious honour of competing with the top-ranked player on Saturday.
Play begins: at around 20:30 in the host city, 7.30pm GMT.
