Alexander Zverev is fighting for a spot in the year-end ATP tournament Turin, but losing early to Jordan Thompson at the Japan Open isn't going to help him get there.
Zverev had high hopes for his stay in Japan where his style of play would have been a major strength but it wasn't a long stay at all. After losing relatively early at the Shanghai Masters due to fatigue, Zverev looked set for a deep run in Japan but he was beaten easily by Jordan Thompson in his first match.
The Australian is a good player, but Zverev played a bad match; it's as simple as that. His serve was nowhere to be seen, and things simply fell apart after that.
It's the one thing that he needed to win, but he never found a good rhythm and crashed out of the tournament, not earning anywhere near as many points as he needed to secure his spot at the 2023 ATP Finals.
It's good to be back in the Top 10. It's good to be back in contention for Turin as well. If I continue playing the way I was playing the past few months I think I have great chances.
The early loss is a major issue for Zverev, who is still inside the Top 8 for the ATP Race to Turin, but it gives other players a huge chance to catch up. Holger Rune is primarily the danger as the Dane hopes to turn around his season at the Stockholm Open, where he won the trophy last year.
Other players like Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz are also in pursuit, and while they're a bit behind, they could catch up with a strong finish to the year, and it's all because of these early exits from Zverev. After winning a trophy in Chengdu, these latest performances have not been very good, and it's coming at a very bad time for the German.
With four players already qualified for the event, Andrey Rublev is currently fifth with 275 points, while Stefanos Tsitsipas is sixth with 3615 points. Alexander Zverev has 3415 points, and players behind him are relatively close with Rune at 3110 points, Fritz at 2965 points, and Ruud at 2795 points.
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