Spain's Carlos Alcaraz experienced a surprising 6-1, 7-5 loss to Norway's Casper Ruud in his initial match at the ATP Finals, significantly impacting his aspirations to claim the year-end championship for the first time on Monday.
The round-robin structure of the eight-player event allows for a potential turnaround, yet the third seed now faces a challenging path with minimal room for error in his upcoming group matches. Alcaraz will need to elevate his performance to a higher level.
World number seven Ruud, who had previously lost all four encounters against Alcaraz, managed to save break points in the opening game and then took control of the first set as Alcaraz's game showed uncharacteristic errors. Alcaraz rallied in the second set, leading 5-2 and breaking serve with a skillful volley, but ultimately faltered, losing the last five games.
Alcaraz, this year's French Open and Wimbledon champion, aims to become the first Spaniard to win the prestigious year-end title since Alex Corretja in 1998. Ruud, after failing to convert his first two match points, sealed the victory on his third attempt, positioning himself strongly in the John Newcombe group.
Ruud expressed his satisfaction with the win, acknowledging Alcaraz's potential to play better. The Ilie Nastase group commenced on Sunday with world number one Jannik Sinner defeating debutant Alex De Minaur and American Taylor Fritz overcoming Russian Daniil Medvedev.
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