“It’s a great way to start the tournament.” Spaniard Marcel GranolaireNo. 8 in the world in doubles, partner Horacio ZeballosThe greatest Argentine doubles player of all time chose these words to describe the couple’s debut match. ATP Finals Masters Tournament to be held in Turin. Competing in the exclusive tournament for the sixth year in a row, he defeated current champions Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 (match tie-break) as part of the Peter Fleming Group.
“The match was even, so it was important that I didn’t change anything mentally after losing the second set. My attitude was the same, and in a format where you know if you lose concentration for even one minute you lose, I’d say I got a little bit better,” said Zeballos, from Mar del Plata, who is seventh in the specialty division. This season has been a dream for the Argentine and the Spaniard, who have been competing together since 2019 with very good chemistry. They won five titles, two of which are Grand Slam titles (Roland Garros and the US Open).the highest tier of the tournament, was something on hold for both until winning in Paris.
Left-handed Zeballos, who was runner-up at the 2023 ATP Finals (coached by Alejandro Lombardo), and right-handed Granolles will try to make a difference with their clean and jerk at Turin’s Inalpi Arena. So they’re about to accomplish one of the few (and great) stakes in their record as a duo. In addition to victories at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows, Zeballos and Granollers this season also won the Masters 1000 on clay in Madrid and Bucharest, and won their first trophy on hard surfaces and indoors at the ATP 500 in Basel, which had the same conditions as Turin.
The Peter Fleming Doubles Group is completed by the pair formed by the British Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool and the Italians Simone Borrelli/Andrea Vavassoli.
Moreover, this victory has special value, especially for Zeballos. Krawitz and Pütz will be playing doubles for the German national team in the Davis Cup quarter-final series against Argentina in the framework of the Final 8 in Bologna.
Strangely, this is the first time something like this has happened. The ATP Finals is one of the toughest events on the calendar, and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, currently No. 2 in the rankings, has fallen victim to it with only two appearances registered up to Sunday this week. Until now, he had not been able to make a successful debut, but he decided to change his luck and write a new story. The Murcian started his journey with defeat in both 2023 (defeated to Alexander Zverev) and 2024 (defeated to Casper Roode), but this Sunday he began his third adventure in Turin with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory over Australian Alex de Mignard in an hour and 40 minutes.
“This tournament is definitely one of the best on this circuit,” Alcaraz said. “We are playing against the best teams in the world and it shows how difficult and important it is. In recent years we have not been able to reach the end of the season with motivation. This is a little different, but I am proud because we are doing well to give ourselves the opportunity to win this tournament,” added Mosquito-coached player Juan Carlos Ferrero.
As well as leading the Jimmy Connors Group for the time being, Alcaraz has taken an important step towards his ambition to finish as the best player in the world this year. For this he depends on himself. Either two more wins in the group stage or a place in the final this week is enough. Alcaraz is also aiming to become only the third Spaniard to win the ATP Finals, only Manuel Orantes of Houston in 1976 and Alex Correcha of Hannover in 1998 to have achieved the feat.
This Monday marks the debut of Jannik Sinnercurrently number 1 in the world. The Italian will face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. The other Italian competing in the Masters, Lorenzo Musetti (entering after Novak Djokovic’s loss), will face American Taylor Fritz.
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