Carlos Alcaraz snapped a three-match losing streak as he beat Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-2 in his penultimate round-robin contest of the ATP Finals in Turin.
It was the first encounter between the Spaniard and Russian, with the latter hoping to bounce back from Monday’s loss to compatriot Daniil Medvedev.
Instead he found himself pinned back by world number two Alcaraz, who never faced a break point and kept his hopes of advancing from the the Red Group alive with his first win at the year-end event after missing the last edition with an abdominal injury.
Alcaraz’s critical break came in the 11th game of the first set, during which he dropped just one point on his first serve and soon his opponent began to unravel.
Rublev dropped his serve to start the second set and could not rein in his reaction as he slammed his racquet against his knee with such force he drew blood, mopping it up with a towel at his chair before returning to the court.
It was all too much to overcome as Alcaraz, who finished with 21 winners to 11 unforced errors, sealed the 74-minute victory with his first match point.
The 20-year-old, who improved to 1-1 following his opening loss to Alexander Zverev, will face Medvedev to conclude the group stage on Friday while Rublev will take on Zverev.
Alcaraz told the ATP website: “It was a totally different match and level from me. This is the level I have to play if I want to give myself a chance in this amazing tournament.
“Yesterday was a good day for me in practise to find the level I needed to show today and I think I did pretty well. I am very happy with my level.”
Alcaraz sets up Sinner showdown in French Open semi-finals after dismantling Tsitsipas
Carlos Alcaraz continued his perfect start to the French Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday.
It is the second year running that Alcaraz has brushed aside Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, this time with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory in just two hours and 15 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The Spaniard set the tone early on with a break in the opening game as he comfortably cruised through the first set and was 3-0 up in the second before Tsitsipas started to mount a comeback.
The momentum stayed with Alcaraz as he stretched his lead following the tie-break though, and held his nerve to see out the third set.
The world number three has reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive year, and has booked a meeting with the new world number one, Jannik Sinner.
Data Debrief: Alcaraz keeps chasing records
Alcaraz has become the youngest player since Andy Roddick in 2003 (v Xavier Malisse) to defeat a player in all his first six meetings in ATP events.
Not only that, but among players who started their career in the Open Era, only Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe (59 each) have registered 50 Men's Singles Grand Slam wins in fewer matches than Alcaraz (60).
'Tough' injury decision forces struggling Djokovic out of French Open
Novak Djokovic was left to rue his "tough decision" after a knee injury forced him to pull out of the French Open.
Earlier on Tuesday, the tournament organisers announced Djokovic would not be continuing his title defence after picking up a knee injury in his incredible comeback win against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.
His withdrawal also means he has relinquished his world number one ranking, with Jannik Sinner set to take his place in the standings following the end of the tournament.
In a social media post, Djokovic confirmed the news himself.
"I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros," his post read.
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"I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday's match and unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation.
"I wish the best of luck to the players competing this week and sincerely thank the incredible fans for all the love and continued support. See you soon."
The 37-year-old now faces a race to be fit for Wimbledon, where he is a seven-time champion, with the tournament beginning on July 1.
New world number one Sinner sails into French Open semi-finals after defeating Dimitrov
Jannik Sinner celebrated becoming the new world number one with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov booking his place in the French Open semi-finals.
Following Novak Djokovic's withdrawal from Roland-Garros due to a knee injury, the Italian moves to the summit of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.
In fitting fashion, Sinner secured his maiden passage into the last four of the clay-court major after ousting Dimitrov 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7- ) in just under two-and-a-half hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The reigning Australian Open champion landed the early blow with back-to-back breaks in games five and seven on the way to drawing first blood.
Another break in the opening game of the second proved decisive as he held out for a two-set lead.
The second seed then had a chance to serve for the match after he broke in game nine of set three. Although Dimitrov responded immediately, the Bulgarian only delayed the inevitable as Sinner would dominate the tie-break to advance.
Data Debrief: Italian job well done by the new world number one
Sinner is the first Italian man to become world number one since the rankings were first published in 1973.
The 22-year-old is now 4-0 in his first four grand slam matches against top-10 opponents this year, making him the youngest player to achieve that feat since Jim Courier in 1992.
After Stefanos Tsitsipas, he is also just the second player in the last 15 years to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open and French Open in the same season.
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