World no. 3 Alexander Zverev made a winning start at the ATP Finals in Turin. The two-time ATP Finals champion faced Ben Shelton in the first round-robin match and scored a 6-3, 7-6 victory in an hour and 33 minutes.
The German served well and kept the pressure on the other side. The American fought well in his first ATP Finals match, matching the rival's pace in the second set.
Shelton moved 6-3 in front in the tie break before Zverev defended all three set points and rattled off five points to emerge at the top and secure the win. In the second match in this group, Jannik Sinner faces Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday.
Alexander served at 81% and dropped ten points in his games, facing no break points. He made a push on Ben's second serve and provided three breaks from five chances.
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The more experienced player landed 18 winners and ten unforcederrors, with his rival standing on a 20-26 ratio. Zverev had a massive advantage in the shortest rallies up tofour strokes, winning the duel in that segment.
He also had the upper hand from the baseline. The German played rock-solid tennis in the opener. He dropped one point in his games and provided comfortable breaks in games five and nine for 6-3 in under half an hour.
Shelton faced the ultimate test in the fourth game of the second set. A left-hander defended two break points and remained on the positive side. They served well in the remaining games and introduced a tie break.
Suddenly, Alexander lost three points on serve and fell 6-3 behind. However, he kept his composure and took two points on the return to soften the deficit. Zverev grabbed two points on serve for 7-6 and seized the first match point to emerge at the top.
