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Jannik Sinner takes the first set against Alexander Zverev 6-4
Sinner 6-4 Zverev*Zverev goes long on the forehand, going for a big one, and the doubts will be pulling at his topknot; can he banish them? Er no: again, he overhits, this time a rally ball. A service winner down the T, as Sinner looks to cover out wide, halves the arrears, but refusing to take the next rally on gives the Italian time to change pace with a forehand cross-court that elicits a mishit; two set points. The first disappears with a forehand panelled long, the second with a serve/forehand one-two, and thatâ€s good from Zverev, whose fragile confidence mustâ€ve been teetering. A booming ace down the T then grabs him advantage, but coming in to finish game point, his approach picks out Sinner and his volley is weak, hitting the net. And again, Sinner hurls himself at the next rally while Zverev plants feet and plays safe then, up advantage, he powers to the backhand corner and rushes in to clean up, sealing the set in the process. Iâ€m afraid the German just doesnâ€t have the head for this: he cannot win if he plays defensively, passively or reactively and yes, Iâ€m aware those words, in context, sort of mean the same thing. But itâ€s a point that needs emphasising.
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*Sinner 5-4 ZverevI donâ€t get why Zverev isnâ€t going for this; you canâ€t break Sinner waiting for errors, and again heâ€s unduly circumspect, effectively inciting the winner, which is duly disbursed. Itâ€s soon 40-0, a drop seals the deal, and the scoreboard pressure mounts.
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Updated at 15.21 EST
Sinner 4-4 Zverev*An ace down the T makes 30-0 and this set looks like itâ€ll need a breaker; as I type, the love hold is secured within seconds.
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Updated at 15.19 EST
*Sinner 4-3 ZverevSinner shows he can also clobber aces out wide, using won to make 30-0, then a table tennis forehand, his 12th winner of the match earns game point, seized with a backhand winner. After a dicky opening hold, heâ€s back to looking impregnable on serve.
Jannik Sinner stretches for a backhand return to Alexander Zverev. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersShare
Updated at 15.17 EST
Sinner 3-3 Zverev*A mistake apiece makes 15-all, but Zverev, who made the second, was negative, hitting down the middle. And the smae happens again next point, Sinner sending him to the corner before patting away the putaway. But a backhand thwacked long levels us at 30-all, a service-winner follows – Zverev prefers swinging out wide, whereas Sinner likes the T – then an ace into the far corner.
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*Sinner 3-2 ZverevThe first drop of the match gives Sinner 15-0, and a forehand swatted on the half-turn from on the baseline is far too good. Zverev then swipes a backhand marginally long, but a terrific return, the length perfect, forces him into the game … before a netted return forces him out of it.
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Sinner 2-2 Zverev*Sinner flings a backhand wide but, offered a short ball, next point, he comes in and Zverevâ€s attempted pass hits the net. An ace out wide, though, makes 30-15 and a framed forehand follows, then a big serve/plus one forehand combo-move seals the game.
Jannik Sinner fires off a return to Alexander Zverev. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersShare
Updated at 15.15 EST
*Sinner 2-1 ZverevZverev makes 0-15, but then nets a return; not something he can really afford to do, given the quantity of balls he wonâ€t be able to get back – the next one, for example, and the one after, an ace; 40-15. And another quick point secures the hold, Sinner starting to settle.
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Sinner 1-1 Zverev*At change of ends, Sinner tells the umpire he needs sawdust as his racket is slipping, and whoâ€d be surprised if, after fighting through an eight-minute hold saving two break points, he gets it done here? Zverev begins with a service winner and follows up with an ace, but at 40-0, Sinner vaporises a forehand inside-out and into the corner. he then overhits one, though, so weâ€re level at 1-1 and so far, this is a good contest.
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*Sinner 1-0 Zverev (*denotes server)At 15-all, we focus in on a small bald man who looks not unlike Moby; heâ€s taking photo with flash. Anyway, who w nts to hear my Moby anecdote? A friend of mine was in New York and got chatting to people in the club, one of whom said come back to mine. So he went, ans there are all these Moby gold discs on the wall. Wow, you must really like Moby, says my mate; “I am Moby,†says Moby. Meantime, Zverev puts together a decent point, set up with a backhand down the line; Sinnerâ€s attempted pass falls long, but he responds with an ace; 30-all. Zverev, though, again deploys the backhand down the line, which helps him to 30-40 … and again, Sinner responds with a soul-crushing ace that makes deuce. Another, down the T like its predecessors, raises advantage, but a leaping backhand into the net restores parity. Already, you kind of feel like Zverev needs to break here, while the goingâ€s good and to feel like thereâ€s a way, and when Sinner overhits a forehand, heâ€s a second break point. Will he gamble on the serve down the middle? He doesnâ€t, and another ace, the fourth of the game, flies past him, and from there, the hold is secured.
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Sinner to serve,ready … play.
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Does Zverev believe he can win this?Iâ€m not sure but leaning no; he must start well, because thereâ€s not a chance he does it from behind.
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Updated at 14.40 EST
Itâ€s almost time …and out they come, the crowd going wild for Sinner. This arena is proper, steeply banked so it feels like everyone is on top of the action, and it makes a right racket.
Enter, Jannik Sinner. Photograph: Valerio Pennicino/Getty ImagesAnd Alexander Zverev. Photograph: Valerio Pennicino/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.52 EST
Sinner, by the way, has won 27 indoor hard-court matches in a row.The predictable bounce is perfect for the way he moves and hits and in Turin, the thinner air is also helpful, giving the ball even greater pace. Zverev, though, quite likes all of that too, so weâ€ll see.
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Updated at 14.43 EST
Talking of Felix,how on earth could he go three hard sets just two days after limping through the second against Sinner? These lads are so fit itâ€s ridiculous, and I really hope heâ€s maturing into the best version of himself.
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This tournament properly kicked into action yesterday, with two astoundingly good matches. If Zverev is at it tonight, we might well get more of the same tonight. Weâ€l talk about it more tomorrow night, but you really have to feel for poor old Demon who, like Zverev – and Andrey Rublev – has had enough of his best not being good enough. Elite sport is haaaaard.
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If Sinner wins tonight, heâ€s through and Shelton is out;Zverev would play Auger-Aliassime for the second spot. If Zverev wins in two, he goes through.
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The effect playing Sinner can have on your mood, part II:
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The effect playing Sinner can have on your mood, part Iâ€
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Sinner, meanwhile, will look to attack Zverevâ€s forehand.Iâ€d expect to see him hit at it corner to corner, as well as with his backhand down the line, trying to keep the ball low over the net. He knows, though, he doesnâ€t exactly need a strategy: if he plays well, he wins
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So how does Zverev make it happen? Well, he has to serve at close to his best, which feels eminently possible. And otherwise, heâ€ll want to target Sinnerâ€s second delivery, as well as hitting his backhand hard and flat down the line, making Sinner hit forehands from the corner and on the run, with time taken away from him. Itâ€s also worth noting that heâ€s improved his volleying, so he might come in behind some of those – and behind some of his serves – to keep his opponent guessing.
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Preamble
Evening all and welcome to the ATP Tour Finals 2025 – day four!
Writing these preambles, itâ€s hard not to fall into a trap of detailing how and why the latest challenger could and might beat Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, then saying, yeah, no chance, sorry. Well, here we are again.
And yet. And yet, and yet, and yet. In the opening round of matches, Felix Auger-Aliassime gave Sinner plenty until he got injured, just as yesterday, Taylor Fritz was better than Alcaraz for the best part of two sets. On the other hand and despite it all, the big two both won, comfortably in the end.
Alexander Zverev, though, is a different proposition … or is he? No one without a grand slam title has come closer to seizing one and, for several years, he seemed certain that heâ€d get there eventually. But then in the final of this yearâ€s Australian Open, Sinner took him apart so surgically and mercilessly that it seemed to kill something inside him, and heâ€s been dealing with the PTSD ever since.
Until, perhaps, this week. On Sunday night, he played really well in seeing off Ben Shelton, celebrating with such fervour it felt possible that, in those moments, he healed. His serve and backhand remain two of the biggest and best shots in the game and though we can be sure his backhand and net-play will be tested this evening, for the first time since Melbourne, he might feel he has a chance.
Play: 8.30pm GMT, 7.30pm local
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