Tennis: Casper Ruud stuns Carlos Alcaraz at ATP Finals

Casper Ruud defeated Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday, defying the odds to claim his maiden hardcourt victory against top-three opposition.

Top tennis bookmakers had the Norwegian at +525 to beat the world No.3, with Alcaraz paying just -1428.57 to register his fifth win over Ruud in six attempts.

However, the underdog made the most of a sloppy showing by Alcaraz, racing past the Spaniard in just an hour and 25 minutes to win 6-1, 7-5.

“It’s only one match, but it’s definitely one of the best wins of the season for me,” Ruud said afterwards.

“In terms of who I’m playing, his level, his ranking and all this stuff.

“I feel very happy, of course.

“I think we will see Carlos play better tennis than he did today, but I took care of my chances.

“I have not been [full of] confidence in the past weeks or months, so it was a great win for me.

“Hopefully I can build on it, and I would like to get some more wins while I am in Turin.”

Ruud came into the ATP Finals having lost eight of his last nine matches, including two defeats to players outside the top 100.

However, Alcaraz was full of mistakes, with the 21-year-old spraying 34 unforced errors — more than double Ruud’s count — and converting just one of six break points.

After the match, Ruud explained that he knew Alcaraz was not at his best coming into Monday night’s clash.

“I knew he was dealing with a bit of a cold,” he said.

“I saw him sniffling in the back area and with a tissue for his nose, so that’s a sign that maybe physically he won’t be necessarily at 100%.

“I tried to make him play rallies and do my best, but it’s not easy because when you kind of know that someone is not 100%, maybe you get stressed yourself.

“You think, ‘This is a really big chance for me to maybe try to win’.

“So, I just tried to stay in my world, the moment, and luckily, I got a good start.

“I got a break early and kept it, and in the second set I was able to turn it around with some good tennis at the end.”

The result has led to a dramatic swing in the ATP Finals title odds after two days’ play.

Alcaraz was paying +200 pre-tournament at Bovada but now sits at +550, behind Jannik Sinner (-138.89) and Alexander Zverev (+400).

Ruud, on the other hand, was a heavy underdog at +4000 before play began in Turin, but he now leaps to the fifth line of betting at +1400.

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