Alexander Zverev wins London opener, faces Roger Federer next

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 12: Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a forehand against Marin Cilic of Croatia during the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 12: Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a forehand against Marin Cilic of Croatia during the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Alexander Zverev wins his ATP Finals opener at The O2 Arena in London. The young tennis star defeats Marin Cilic in three sets.

Alexander Zverev is riding high after his ATP Finals opener.

The Next Generation ATP tennis star shocked the 2017 ATP World Tour with a phenomenal season, earning a spot at the year-end finals in London. He opens his run at the tournament with a win over Croatian tennis star Marin Cilic.

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Up next for the rising tennis star in London is Roger Federer. While the Swiss great headlines their group this week, he has faced adversity against Sascha.

Roger Federer is just 2-2 against Alexander Zverev.

The young German, who has five ATP singles titles on the year, is the current world No. 3 in men’s singles tennis. He squares off for what will surely be a thrilling match against Federer. After both winning their openers, this second match will be crucial for semifinals hopes.

Zverev defeats Cilic in three sets, taking the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. After Cilic rallied in the second set, Zverev pulled away mid third set for the victory. Cilic, a former US Open singles champion, is appearing in his third career ATP Finals. He will need to rebound in his next match if he hopes to advance through the round robin action in London.

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At just 20-years-old, Alexander Zverev is now one of the best players in men’s singles tennis. If he can defeat Roger Federer in their next match, the young German would setup the perfect ending to an already fantastic year on the ATP World Tour.

Other group action continues on Monday at The O2 Arena in London.

Rafael Nadal headlines his group and faces David Goffin. Grigor Dimitrov will square off against Dominic Thiem. With plenty of young talent at the 2017 ATP Finals this year, Nadal and Federer both have their work cut out for them. They remain the favorites to win, but players such as Alexander Zverev could spell an upset this week.

Stay tuned to see how all of the action unfolds at the 2017 ATP Finals in London. Check back for updates on Zverev’s play at the end of year tournament.