“It’s a great way to start the tournament.” Spanish Marcel Granollersworld No. 8 in doubles and partner Horacio Zeballosthe best Argentine doubles player of all time, chose these words to describe the pair’s debut The Masters, the ATP Finals held in Turin. They competed in the exclusive tournament for the sixth year in a row, defeating the current champions, Germans Kevin Krawitz and Tim Boetz, with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 (tie-break) to Peter Fleming’s group.
“The match was so close that it was necessary that after losing the second set we didn’t change anything mentally, the situation was the same and I would say it was a little better in a format where you know that if you lose concentration for a minute you will lose,” said Mar del Plata’s Zeballos, No. 7 in the major. This season has been a dream for the Argentine and the Spaniard, who have been competing together – and with very good chemistry – since 2019: They have won five titles, but two of them are Grand Slams (Roland Garros and the US Open).which is the highest hierarchy of championships, which was a pending account for both of them until their coronation in Paris.
The left-handed Zeballos (coached by Alejandro Lombardo) and the right-handed Granollers, runners-up at the ATP Finals in 2023, will attempt to capitalize on the clean and jerk to make a difference at Turin’s Inalbe Arena, as they seek to cross off one of the few (and great) goals hanging on their record as a duo. In addition to celebrating at the French Open and Flushing Meadows, this season the Zeballos/Granollers dominated on clay at the Masters 1000 in Madrid and Bucharest, winning their first title on hard surfaces and indoor, at the ATP 500 in Basel, the same conditions as in Turin.
Peter Fleming’s doubles line-up was completed by the duos formed by Britain’s Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool and Italians Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavasori.
Moreover, for Zeballos, specifically, the victory has additional value, as Krawietz and Peutz will be the German doubles players in the series against Argentina in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup, in Bologna, in the quarter-finals.
Oddly enough, this is the first time this has happened. The ATP Finals are one of the most demanding events on the calendar, and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked second in the rankings, was a victim of it in the two appearances he recorded until Sunday. He was unable to debut with a win, but turned his luck around to try and write a new story. Whether in 2023 (lost to Alexander Zverev) or in 2024 (lost to Casper Ruud), Murcian started his path with defeats, but on Sunday he opened his third adventure in Turin with a difficult performance against Australian Alex de Minaur 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, in one hour and 40 minutes.
“This tournament is one of the best tournaments we have on the track, without a doubt,” Alcaraz said. Mosquito’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, added: “We are playing against the best in the world, which shows how difficult and important it is. I have had problems in recent years to reach the end of the season with motivation. This is a little different, and I am proud of it, because I am doing things well to give myself the opportunity to try to win this tournament.”
Alcaraz has made an important step not only to lead Jimmy Connors’ group at the moment, but also in his aspirations to finish as the best player in the world this year. That’s why he depends on himself. Either it is enough for them to add two more victories in the group stage, or to reach the final this week. Alcaraz also aspires to be the third Spaniard to win the ATP Finals Championship, something that only Manuel Orantes at Houston 1976 and Alex Corretja at Hannover 1998 have achieved so far.
This Monday will be Jannik Sinner’s debutcurrently number 1 in the world. The Italian will face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. While the other Italian, Lorenzo Musetti (who entered after Novak Djokovic’s loss) will play in the Masters tournament against American Taylor Fritz.
About The Author
