World number three, Carlos Alcaraz, is close to crashing out of the ATP Finals following a straight-set defeat by the second seeded Alexander Zverev in Turin.
27-year-old Zverev on his part secured top spot in the group with the 7-6 6-4 win over the Spaniard to set up a semi-final clash against Taylor Fritz of the United States.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz must wait for the result of the match between Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud – he will be be sent packing from Turin if Ruud takes a single set against the winless Russian.
The French Open and Wimbledon champion started the Finals with a shock loss to Ruud, who admitted that Alcaraz seemed off his game. Alcaraz later revealed he was dealing with a stomach illness.
And it appeared he was still not fully recovered, as he was unable to maintain the intensity of Zverev as the match went on. The 21-year-old put up a spirited display in the first set but succumbed to the German.
Alcaraz came up short again in the second set as he was unable to take advantage of the two times he tried to get games from break points against Zverev and lose the match eventually.