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Preamble

The typical complications of tournament pool play mean by this stage of the season-ending championships viewers are commonly confused, hastily looking for a mathematical tool and striving to determine the mind-boggling permutations of qualification. However tonight’s match between Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime, mercifully, is simple. It’s a straight shootout: the winner secures a semifinal contest against Alcaraz at this championship finale; the unsuccessful competitor goes home.

Zverev is the favourite for this: the elite athlete is the more accomplished player, has claimed the title at this competition on two prior occasions and is ahead in their direct encounters 6-3, having won both their past encounters on an enclosed hard court.

However … this particular court on which the Canadian has won the majority of his titles, he is in great form after his remarkable turnaround against Shelton on midweek and he eliminated Zverev in the US Championships early stage in August. Furthermore, the court pace is quicker in Turin than at the US Open venue, which provides an additional advantage in AA’s benefit.

If Zverev holds back, as he did against Sinner, and Felix aggressively challenges the German with his stinging serves and confident shots, it might very well be the North American athlete – the former prodigy who was previously positioned ahead of Alcaraz and Sinner to replace the tennis icons – who secures the dubious honour of playing against the world No 1 the next day.

The match starts: at about 8.30pm local time, 19:30 Greenwich Mean Time.