Jannik Sinner cruised into the title clash of the ATP Finals after brushing aside Casper Ruud 6-1 6-2 in the semi-finals in Turin. 

Sinner, ranked number one in the world, will now face Taylor Fritz in his bid to win his first ATP Finals crown after the American shocked Alexander Zverev in the other semi-final on Saturday. 

The Italian was straight into attack against the sixth seed on Saturday, breaking serve in the second game before taking the first set in half an hour, with the home crowd cheering him on. 

Sinner did not afford the 25-year-old much success in the second set either, going on a five-game winning streak to progress to the title showdown by hardly breaking a sweat. 

On the showpiece match, Sinner said: "We [Taylor Fritz] already played in the round-robin format and will play again in the final.

"I just try to play the best I can [on Sunday]. Anything can happen. I'm just happy to be back here. I've grown as a player since last year.

"It's been a very positive week and year, so I'm really happy."

Sinner had overcome Novak Djokovic in the round-robin stage in the last edition of the tournament but went on to lose to the Serbian in the 2023 final.

He will now hope to buck the trend and claim his maiden crown against Fritz, who he beat in straight sets in the group stage on Tuesday.

Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out of the ATP Finals as Casper Ruud sank Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals of the Turin event on Friday.

Following his defeat to Jannik Sinner earlier on Friday, Alcaraz could only advance by virtue of percentage of games won if Ruud was beaten in straight sets.

However, Ruud dashed those hopes by taking an opening set in which he won 80% of his first-serve points (16/20) and did not give up a single break point.

While Rublev fought back to level things up in the second set, Ruud came on strong in the third set, ultimately triumphing 6-4 5-7 6-2 in one hour and 45 minutes.

Speaking after the match, Ruud said: "Tennis is interesting sometimes. I don't know what I am doing better this week than the past few weeks... the only thing is serving, I am serving really well.

"It is tough to play the best players in the world but nice because you feel you are an underdog and can play free. You know if you don't bring your A level you will likely lose.

"I knew coming into this match that a set was enough to qualify, so I was a bit nervous at the start. So when I got that first set I could breathe a little."

Data Debrief: Career-best for Ruud

Ruud's victory was his sixth over a top-10 opponent in ATP Tour-level events in 2024, surpassing his previous best in a single calendar year (five in 2022).

With Sinner his next opponent in the semi-finals on Saturday, Ruud will hope to continue his impressive form against the best the sport has to offer.

Alexander Zverev outlined his plan to stay at the top of the game for another decade after overcoming Casper Ruud in his second match at the ATP Finals.

Having started his campaign at the season finale in Turin by downing Andrey Rublev, Zverev made it two wins from as many matches with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over the Norwegian.

He needed just 86 minutes to wrap up his victory, hitting 28 winners to his opponent's 13 in a confident, powerful performance.

Zverev is appearing at the ATP Finals for a seventh time, and another victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Friday would secure his spot in the semi-finals.

The German has won the event on two previous occasions, beating Novak Djokovic in the 2018 showpiece and overcoming Daniil Medvedev in 2021.

Asked what his experience at the ATP Finals meant for his chances of success, he joked: "It means I'm old! But I still don’t feel old. 

"I hope I have another solid 10 years ahead of me, but I think it’s a young group of guys.

"There has been kind of a shift in tennis this year and I think it's a good thing. They're exciting new players and everybody loves watching them."

Data Debrief: ATP Finals specialist marches on

Since the ATP Finals moved to Turin for the 2021 event, Zverev's eight victories at the competition have only been bettered by Djokovic's 12.

Meanwhile, the German has also managed more ATP Tour-level wins this year than any other player, with Wednesday's success his 68th of 2024.

Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he struggled with illness during his opening game loss at the ATP Finals to Casper Ruud on Monday. 

Alcaraz looked out of sorts as he fell to a 1-6 5-7 defeat to Ruud in just 86 minutes in Turin, and now faces an uphill struggle if he is to progress from the John Newcombe Group.

During the contest, the Spaniard hit 26 unforced errors compared to his opponents' 10, while also failing to save any of the four break points he faced. 

It also marked Alcaraz's first loss against Ruud in their fifth match against each other, with the 21-year-old confirming he had felt unwell leading up to the tournament. 

“I don’t like talking about things like this because it sounds like an excuse and I don’t want to take anything away from what Casper did to win the match,” began Alcaraz.

“Before coming here, I was unwell at home. When I got to Turin, practice was going well; I could handle long rallies, competing and playing.

"And I hoped things would get better as the days went by.

"I don’t know if it was because of the nerves of the first match, but I didn’t feel completely well. My stomach limited my game a lot and made me feel uncomfortable.

"I could’ve done better. I’m not going to feel good in every match I play throughout the year, but it really limited me in terms of my recovery.”

Alcaraz will be back on court on Wednesday, when he takes on the loser of Monday's clash between Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.

Failing to win would see the four-time grand slam champion fall short once again at the year-end tournament, but he was confident of claiming a maiden ATP Finals crown. 

“I don’t want to think much beyond today... Given how I’ve felt, it’s difficult to think about the semis,” said Alcaraz.

“The good thing in this sport is that your game can feel very bad one day and very good the next.

"There have been many players who have lost the first match of the [Nitto] ATP Finals and ended up winning. I reached the semis last year after losing on the first day.

"Now I want to take it day by day, to feel better, and see how the next match is. I’ll approach it as best I can. Let’s hope things turn out well.”

Casper Ruud believes his 50th Tour-level victory of 2024 was one of his best after he upset third seed Carlos Alcaraz in his opening match of the ATP Finals on Monday. 

Ruud, who had registered just two wins since the US Open, sealed a 6-1 7-5 win in just 86 minutes against Alcaraz for his maiden Top 3 triumph on hard courts. 

The Norwegian reeled off five consecutive games from 1-1 to claim the first set at a canter but had to battle from the brink to secure a straight-set victory in Turin. 

Alcaraz had raced into a 5-2 lead in the second set but was unable to hold on, with Ruud roaring back to sit top of the early standings in the John Newcombe Group. 

"It's only one match, but it's one of the best wins of the season in terms of who I am playing and his ranking," Ruud said.

"I feel really happy, of course. I think we have seen Carlos play better tennis, but I took care of my chances. 

"I haven't been boosting with confidence in the last few months so it was a great win for me and I would like to get some more wins in Turin.

"I got a good start, I got a break early and in the second set I managed to turn it around with some good tennis at the end."

Ruud will next seek to earn a second win on Wednesday when he will face either Alexander Zverev or Andrey Rublev, who play later on Monday. 

Data Debrief: Ruud awakening

Although Alcaraz appeared below his physical best during Monday's encounter, Ruud took full advantage to continue his impressive streak against the very best in the world. 

The Norwegian's latest win saw his record against players in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings improve to 5-2, and he was a worthy winner in Turin. 

Ruud converted all four of the break points he was presented with, ending the contest with 10 unforced errors compared to Alcaraz's 26. 

Casper Ruud suffered an early exit at the Paris Masters, after he was beaten in three sets by Jordan Thompson.

The three-time major finalist was the latest big name to fall at the Accor Arena, where his Australian opponent prevailed 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-4.

Ruud took early control of the contest, breaking in game four to move to the brink of drawing first blood at 5-2 up.

However, Thompson broke back and then controlled the tie-break to edge his nose ahead.

Ruud - a two-time French Open runner-up in Paris - responded by breaking twice in the second set to level.

The two players exchanged breaks early in the decider, which looked set to go the distance until a timely break to love in game nine proved crucial for Thompson, who then held to set up a last-16 clash with either Zizou Bergs or Adrian Mannarino. 

Data Debrief: Ruud's rueful form continues

A winner in Barcelona and Geneva earlier in the season, Ruud has been unable to maintain that momentum.

The Norwegian, who occupies sixth place in the Race to Turin, has now lost seven of the last eight matches he has played, and now requires favours from elsewhere to secure his place in the Nitto ATP Finals.

Nevertheless, Thompson deserves credit for taking his chances when they arrived. In fact, the Australian converted three of the four break-point opportunities that were presented to him.

Carlos Alcaraz's straight-set triumph over Taylor Fritz ensured Team Europe completed a remarkable final day comeback to lift the Laver Cup in Berlin. 

Team World had led 11-7 heading into the penultimate match of the competition, but Alexander Zverev's win over Frances Tiafoe forced a deciding contest. 

The Spaniard completed the thrilling turnaround in style, saving three of the four break points he faced to hand Team Europe their first win at the tournament since 2021.

Alcaraz managed eight points for Team Europe during the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup, the most points a player has earned in a single edition of the tournament. 

The world number three kickstarted proceedings in the doubles with Casper Ruud, emerging victorious in straight sets 6-2 7-6 (8-6) against Tiafoe and Ben Shelton. 

Speaking after his opening game of the day, Alcaraz said his performance was an attempt to imitate the great Roger Federer, who was watching on in the stands. 

"I think that one of the best tennis players that made these shots possible was Roger [Federer]," Alcaraz said. 

"I have watched him many times and the way he plays these unbelievable shots. 

"Sometimes, in some way, I try to imitate him a little bit and that is why I try in every practice and in every match to bring some good shots into the match."

But the pendulum swung back in Team World's favour in the following game, with Shelton downing Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 7-10 to put his side on the brink. 

However, Zverev found his groove at just the right time, winning his first match of the week 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 10-5 to set up a nail-biting conclusion. 

But on his Laver Cup debut, Alcaraz held his nerve with a commanding 6-2 7-5 display against Fritz to see Team Europe become only the second team in the last six editions of the tournament to win having trailed on the final day. 

Francis Tiafoe enjoyed an important Laver Cup victory over Daniil Medvedev on Saturday, with the American thriving on confidence after feeling "like Roger Federer".

American Tiafoe rallied past Team Europe's Medvedev 3-6 6-4 10-5 to send Team World into a 4-2 lead, at least temporarily.

Carlos Alcaraz soon levelled the team series in Berlin with an impressive 6-4 6-4 victory over Tiafoe's fellow American Ben Shelton.

Swiss great Federer was in the crowd to watch Tiafoe's performance, much to the delight of the 26-year-old.

"Honestly I just started having fun. Laughing with my team, laughing with my team over there and here. Just having a bit of fun and started really finding my rhythm," Tiafoe said.

"The courts are obviously much slower than I'm used to playing on, so it's tough playing Daniil on this court. But after the second set, midway into the second and in the tie-break, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly."

Tiafoe had lost all five previous ATP Tour meetings with Medvedev but continued his fine form after reaching the US Open semi-finals for the first time, along with making the final in Cincinnati.

"I just have a lot more confidence in myself. I'm having a lot of fun playing the game at the moment," Tiafoe added. 

"I'm just trying to play the right way and compete as hard as I can, let the chips fall where they may. I respect everyone, but I'm just not fearing anyone at the moment.

"I'm just going out there, taking it to guys and seeing what happens."

Alcaraz fell on his Laver Cup debut in the doubles alongside Alexander Zverev but responded with a near-perfect singles performance against Shelton.

"I'm really happy to be part of Team Europe in the Laver Cup for the first time," Alcaraz said after his first win in the competition.

"I'm trying to be as [good] a partner as I can, as [good] a player as I can to help my team. I played against Ben, a really powerful player, a really tough one.

"I'm pretty happy because I played a really solid match from the beginning until the end of the match."

Taylor Fritz subsequently restored Team World's lead with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Germany's Zverev, before doubles success followed for Shelton and Alejandro Tabilo.

The Team World pair dispatched Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1 6-2, securing a 8-4 lead for their side heading into the third day of action.

Novak Djokovic marked his return to action with a dominant 6-0 6-1 victory over Greece's Ioannis Xilas to put Serbia in control of the Davis Cup tie. 

The 24-time major winner was playing his first match since his US Open third-round defeat by Alexei Popyrin at Flushing Meadows a fortnight ago.

And Djokovic, who helped his nation win the Davis Cup in 2010, looked close to his best as he dropped just a single game, while converting five of the seven break points he forced.

Wrapping up a dominant victory in just 45 minutes, he put Serbia 2-0 to the good in the World Group I tie.

Elsewhere in that group, Casper Ruud helped Norway wrap up a 3-1 win over Portugal.

The three-time major finalist, who put his nation 2-1 to the good alongside Viktor Durasovic in the doubles rubber, was a 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 victor over Jaime Faria in their singles clash.

Later in the day, Argentina booked their place in the final eight after Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni saw off Finland in the doubles decider.

Thiago Monteiro pulled off a shock in the second round of the Swedish Open, beating Casper Ruud in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.

The Brazilian took just an hour and a half to see off the second seed 6-3 6-3 in Bastad on Wednesday.

Ruud successfully defended two break points in the opening game but could not gain the upper hand as Monteiro charged forwards, getting two breaks to take the set.

Monteiro continued to dominate in the second, though he only needed one break this time, and comfortably held off the Norwegian in the final game to make it into the next round, where he will face either Pavel Kotov or Duje Ajdukovic.

Data Debrief: Monteiro comes out on top

Monteiro did not give Ruud any sort of opening, winning all of his service games, and 75% of his service points (38/51).

The number two seed did not win more than one game in a row, and he will be hoping to put this result behind him quickly ahead of his doubles quarter-final with Rafael Nadal later on.

Rafael Nadal was victorious on his first outing since May, teaming up with Casper Ruud to beat second seeds Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela in the Nordea Open doubles at Bastad.

Returning to the clay in Sweden for the first time since he won the singles title as a teenager in 2005, Nadal looked comfortable alongside the world number nine.

The Spaniard was beaten by Alexander Zverev in the first round at the French Open in May, then chose to skip Wimbledon as he prepares to play at the Paris Olympics.

He hit one tremendous forehand winner early in the second set as the star-studded pairing triumphed 6-1 6-4 in 70 minutes.

Speaking alongside Ruud after the match, Nadal said: "It's a pleasure playing with a good friend and an amazing player like Casper here in Bastad.

"Personally, I am happy and I think it was a good match. We played quite well for the first time we played together and I'm happy to be back here after almost 20 years.

"I have great memories from this place from 2003, 2004 and 2005, so I am enjoying this week and hopefully I can keep going."

Nadal will open his singles campaign at the competition on Tuesday, with home hope Leo Borg his first opponent at the ATP 250 event.

Casper Ruud suffered a surprise second-round exit at Wimbledon on Wednesday as another seed was eliminated early on at the grass-court major.

The eighth seed was outsmarted on No.2 Court as Fabio Fognini scored a 6-4 7-5 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 win to send Ruud home from the All England Club.

World number 94 Fognini cut a calm figure throughout, manipulating his opponent from the baseline before snapping past Ruud with ease at regular intervals.

The victory saw Fognini through to his seventh third-round appearance in 14 attempts at Wimbledon, where he next faces Robert Bautista Agut after the Spaniard downed Lorenzo Sonego on the same day.

"Maybe 14 is the lucky one," Fognini said during his on-court interview. "I was 5-2 up and the match was almost done but then at 5-4 too many things were coming into my head.

"But this is why I love and hate this sport. In the end he's top 10 and I'm 37 and today was a good present for me."

Ruud joined sixth seed Andrey Rublev as a surprise early elimination, and Tommy Paul was fortunate to escape a similar upset on No.3 Court.

The 12th-seed American moved into the third round by overcoming Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen 4-6 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-4.

Paul will face Alexander Bublik in his next outing.

Data Debrief: Fognini proves age is no issue

Fognini, aged 37 years and 40 days, is the third player aged 37 or older to defeat an ATP top-10 player in a men's singles major event.

The Italian joined Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer as the only players to achieve the feat as Ruud's struggles on grass continued.

Alexander Zverev is looking to put previous disappointments in major tournaments behind him when he faces Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final on Sunday.

Zverev booked his place in his maiden final in the competition with a comeback victory over Casper Ruud, who was affected by illness, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Zverev previously reached the US Open final in 2020, which he lost to Dominic Thiem, before having to retire in the French Open semi-final in 2022 after just two sets.

It has not been a smooth journey to the final this year, as he has been forced to go the distance and come from behind in most matches, but Zverev is confident that will only make him stronger.

"No, I think, look, to go deep and to win a Grand Slam, you have to go through difficulties, and you have to go through a lot of ups and downs," Zverev said after his win on Friday.

"Normally to win a Grand Slam you have to go through battles. You have to come back in tough five-set matches. You have to come back from difficult moments. I'm happy about the way and the path I had. I'm happy to be in a Grand Slam final and give myself the best chance to win on Sunday."

"Going from the US Open final where I was two points away to then being rolled off in a wheelchair here two years ago. It's all the path of my journey.

"Look, I'm in the final. I haven't won yet. But I just want to play my best tennis and give myself the best chance. If I am able to lift that trophy, it will mean the world to me."

Zverev has already won the Italian Open this year, his sixth Masters title, and his first since 2021.

Aiming to win his first major title, the 27-year-old looked back at his previous tournament experiences, noting how they pushed him to where he is now.

"There was one of two ways to come back from two situations," he added.

"You either come back stronger, and you come back hungrier, which I feel like I did in 2021 when I had my best year on tour so far. Didn't win a Grand Slam, but felt like I had opportunities, won the gold medal, won the most titles on tour by any player that year.

"Or you kind of go into yourself. You drop mentally a bit, as well. I'm happy that I was the sort of person that took the first path.

"Here I am. I want to give myself the best chance, and that's what I'm doing at the end of the day. We'll see how Sunday goes."

Alexander Zverev roared into his second grand slam final by beating Casper Ruud 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-2 at the French Open, the Norwegian affected by illness as he wilted on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Ruud entered Friday's semi-final rested after benefitting from Novak Djokovic's withdrawal in the last eight, and he controlled the baseline rallies with confidence as he took the opener.

However, a long forehand gifted Zverev a break in the opening game of the second set and the German did not look back from there, winning 92 per cent of points behind his first serve as he levelled things up.

More mistakes crept into Ruud's game and he told the umpire he was feeling unwell three games into the third, when Zverev continued to press home his physical advantage.

Ruud left the court after going 2-1 down in a bid to recompose himself, but Zverev set the tone for another dominant set by crashing home a big forehand winner for an opening-game break, and Ruud never looked like hitting back as the big-serving German advanced. 

Data Debrief: Zverev's clay form rewarded

Zverev has become increasingly comfortable on the clay this year, winning the Italian Open and reaching his first final at Roland Garros.

He is just the fifth player in the last two decades to reach the men's singles final at both events in the same year, after Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

He will take on Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's showpiece match, having won five of his nine tour-level meetings with the Spaniard. 

Alexander Zverev secured his place in the French Open semi-finals for a fourth straight year after overcoming Alex de Minaur on Wednesday.

The world number four will meet Casper Ruud, who progressed with a bye after Novak Djokovic's injury withdrawal, in the last four after a battling 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 triumph on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

De Minaur overcame Daniil Medvedev in the previous round to earn his first Roland-Garros quarter-final appearance, though it was one to forget as his serving – and Zverev's grit – proved the 11th seed's undoing.

Both players traded a break apiece during an entertaining opening in the French capital, only for De Minaur's double fault to hand Zverev the 4-3 advantage to hold his serve and take the first set.

The Australian snatched a crucial break midway through the second set, yet Zverev – who was warned with a time violation by the umpire for taking too long over his serve – saved a set point to keep his hopes alive.

That was a sign of things to come, too, as Zverev once again fought from 4-0 and 5-1 down in the tie-breaker, somehow clinching a 2-0 lead in the match from a seeming point of no return.

Having failed to level in that cruel tie-break defeat, De Minaur managed to break Zverev late in the third set but the former responded immediately to secure a hard-fought win in just under three hours.

Data Debrief: Zverev continues on song

Zverev extended to 11 straight wins after this victory, with that run including his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome two weeks prior to the start of this major.

The German is just the 11th man of the Open Era to reach four consecutive semi-finals at the French Open, where a rested Ruud awaits next.

De Minaur, meanwhile, misses out on the chance to become the first Australian man since Pat Rafter in 1997 to make the last four on Parisian clay.