Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton in Nitto ATP Finals opener as two-time champion ensures American’s debut ends in defeat in Turin

Two-time champion Alexander Zverev kicked off his quest for another Nitto ATP Finals title with an impressive win over debutant Ben Shelton.

The world number three clinched a 6-3 7-6(6) victory in one hour and 33 minutes to make a strong start in the Bjorn Borg Group.

Speaking on court following the win, Zverev said: "I knew against him, I need to have a very high first-serve percentage because again, he’s so aggressive on the second serves.

"I knew that it was going to be one of the key factors today and I’m super happy with the win."

It was the German who had the edge in a one-sided 28-minute opener, breaking twice and dropping just one point on serve.

Shelton was guilty of over-pressing with his unforced-error count quickly moving into double figures and making life easier for his opponent, who continued to play solid, controlled tennis.

Indeed, Zverev remained composed as his 23-year-old opponent improved and became more vocal in the second stanza, with Shelton saving two break points in the fourth game to remain in the hunt and force a tie-break.

The American surged into a 4-0 lead and had three set points at 6-3 in the breaker, but unravelled badly with a succession of forehand errors that allowed the German to nick it 8-6 and ensure his eighth appearance at the end-of-season event opened on a winning note.

Wow, what a turnaround!

From 0-4 and then 3-6 down in the breaker, Sascha surges back to win five points in a row and steal the TB 8-6.

Shelton will rue a succession of tight forehand errors and Zverev comes through to prevail in one hour and 33 minutes and extend his lead in the H2H to 5-0.

Shelton knifes away a volley to lead 5-2 and then earns three set points with supreme anticipation to chase down Zverev’s crosscourt forehand and jab a winner to the open court.

Sascha saves one and then survives a second when Ben slams a mid-court forehand into the net.

The German has a chance to achieve parity on his own serve and is visibly nervy as he just about dribbles a second serve over the net.

Ben is equally tight and slaps another forehand into the net to allow Zverev to somehow stay in the hunt!

Shelton is the aggressor here and seems to want that place in a decider pretty badly.

Zverev can’t find the first serve and offers up an instant mini break before Ben turns a thrilling rally in his favour with a deep forehand that eventually leads to Sascha shanking off court off that wing.

The German can only watch on as Shelton conjures up a devilish drop volley to lead 4-0 before the world number three belatedly gets on the board with a crushing 1-2 punch.

Shelton then jabs a volley just long and snares one mini break heading into the change of ends.

Shelton deploys the serve and volley tactic again, rushing a return long, but then drifts a weak forehand into the net from mid-court.

It’s rinse and repeat as the plus one forehand again drifts into the middle of the net to leave him with it all to do at 15-30.

Zverev is undone way beyond his baseline and then fails to keep a forehand on the stretch in play.

A rocket serve seals the deal to 30 for the American and he will have his shot at extending this match into a decider in a breaker.

Zverev produces a sublime stun volley from low on his shoelaces to cut off a rasping low pass.

The German then lands another massive serve and a booming forehand to the postage stamp en route to claiming a love hold that ensures him the minimum of a place in a breaker.

Shelton is made to hustle hard at 0-15 and then 15-30, throwing in a serve and volley routine before a one-two forehand punch ensures he remains in the hunt in this second set.

Sascha piles on the scoreboard pressure as he finds his Mojo on the first serve and quickly blasts his way to a clean hold.

The world number three has served so impressively so far this evening.

Shelton recovers from 0-15 with a series of hefty serves and plus-one forehands but is left relieved that the game ends at 15 when Zverev chases down a woeful dropper but sees his backhand strike clip the tape and fly off the island.  

Shelton has certainly made life more difficult for Zverev with much-needed improvements on the return in Set 2, but he still can’t engineer the opening as Sascha responds at Pulp (30-30) with a pair of unreturnable serves to keep his nose in front heading into the business end of the set.

Shelton nods his head as his Dad offers plenty of advice ahead of this latest service game.

He follows the instruction and it pays dividends as he romps through a clean hold to quicky level matters once more.

How Ben would love to have that chance back.

The American takes on a passive Zverev in the opening two rallies and forces errors with a pair of forehands.

The 23-year-old fifth seed then shows real patience constructing the following point but booms a forehand a whisker long.

It provides the platform for a Zverev recovery and instead of facing up to triple break point, the German guns the powerhouse serve and fires his way out of trouble to stay in control.

Zverev piles on the pressure again, pocketing a brace of unforced errors from his opponent and then counter punching a crosscourt pass that the American can only jab wide on the volley.

It sets up another break point that Shelton fights off with a magnificent stretch volley.

He can’t repeat the trick on a replica point as his attempt to block another rocket of pass lands wide, but Ben wipes out the second BP with a clutch serve.

The fifth seed nudges the momentum his way but struggles to convert game points until an intelligent backhand back in-behind the German tees up a third chance that he converts when Sascha slips a pick-up just long.

Sascha glides a wonderful serve down the T and chucks in a devilish drop volley for good measure before polishing off another clean hold with an unreturnable serve.

‘Let’s go!’ cries Ben as he cannons down some massive serves, sealing a strong hold to 15 with an ace down the T.

The American enjoys the spotlight and will be eager to start making his mark here.

Shelton managed just one point on the return in that opener, but he doubles his tally in this second set in one game.

Indeed, the American bellows with positivity when his deep crosscourt forehand with super depth forces the error for 15-30.

However, Zverev conjures up some hefty serves to flip the game around and then gets enough juice and angle on a crosscourt pass from deep to force the stretch volley error into the net.

Ouch.

Shelton stares down the barrel again as his own unforced errors derail him at 0-30.

A ninth unforced error of the opener sees a plus-one forehand from the mid-court fly long to tee up three set points.

The American fends off one but dumps a volley into the net on the second and it’s Zverev who cruises to the first set in just 28 minutes.

Zverev rattles through another love hold as this set continues to race by.

Sascha has only lost one point on serve so far. Plenty of work for Ben to do on the return if he’s to turn this around.

No surprise to see Ben get his Mojo flowing again on serve with some unreturnable wide deliveries and an ace to finish off a hold to love that keeps him in contention.

Much was made of the Shelton serve coming into this one, but it’s the two-time champion who is delivering from the service line as he keeps his tally ticking over to consolidate with a routine hold to love.