Casper Ruud made a statement when he shocked Carlos Alcaraz in their first match of the ATP Finals on Monday. But could the six-seed follow that up with another win against the most consistent player on tour?

Two-seed Alexander Zverev is playing at his highest level since recovering from his ankle injury two years ago, and he was not to be upset today. Zverev defeated Ruud in straight sets: 7-6 (3), 6-3.

The first set was a 53-minute battle that included a tie-break. Zverev looked immune to the pressure that he once felt during high-intensity moments.

Both players battled to 3-3 in the second set before Zverev rattled off three straight games to win the set and match. It took the two-time defending champion one hour and 26 minutes to finish off Ruud.

In the end, Zverev tallied 28 wins and 16 unforced errors, to Ruud’s 13 winners and ten unforced errors. Zverev was 1/1 on break points, while Ruud did not have any. Both players served at a high level.

When asked about the second set in his post-match interview, Zverev said, “I actually played a few very good return points, which I feel like I didn’t have many in the first set.”

Zverev continued, “But I’m obviously happy with the win. I thought it was a high-level match from both of us, playing good tennis and I think both of us serving quite well. I think his first serve percentage must have been above 80% in the first set or close to it. So yeah, I’m happy with the win.”

Zverev has now won a career-high 68 wins this season, including his last seven matches. He will face Alcaraz tomorrow in the last match of the round-robin-style Group Stage. Ruud will face Andrey Rublev tomorrow. Zverev leads the John Newcombe Group with a record of 2-0.

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