World No. 1 Alexander Zverev opened his ATP Finals campaign in Turin with a 6-4, 6-4 win over debutant Rafael Jodar in the first match of the John McEnroe Group, completing the 87-minute victory at the Inalpi Arena. Zverev, the two-time ATP Finals champion, served with authority throughout, hitting ten aces, landing 84 percent of his first serves and winning 37 of 43 first-serve points, while saving both break points he faced in the first set. The result lifted his 2026 record to 66-18 and gave him the early lead in the group, with 200 ranking points and $405,000 in prize money.
The match carried added weight because Zverev arrived with questions about his legitimacy as year-end No. 1, with rival Jannik Sinner sidelined since the Wimbledon final due to a right knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz out for four months earlier this season with a right wrist issue. Reporters noted he had faced doubts after a tiring stretch that included physical fatigue at Shanghai and mental strain at the Rolex Paris Masters. Watched from the stands by Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker, Zverev answered with a controlled performance, striking 21 winners to 18 unforced errors and winning 69 of 122 points played.S1S2
Zverev's bid is to become the eighth man to win three ATP Finals titles. Jodar, one of four singles debutants in Turin and the eighth seed, competed bravely with ten unforced errors and saved three of four break points in the second set, but won only seven of 43 points against Zverev's first serve. Zverev's main scare came when he served for the first set in the 10th game, and he erased two break points with a 137 mph ace and a 140 mph ace on set point to close the 40-minute opener. He broke once in the second set and never gave Jodar a chance on his own serve, winning 18 of 20 first-serve points.S1S2
Later on Sunday, No. 3 seed Ben Shelton and sixth seed Arthur Fils meet in the second round-robin match of the John McEnroe Group, not before 8.30pm. The top two players in each group reach the semi-finals on Saturday, November 21.S1S2
