Alexander Zverev captured his second ATP Finals title after producing a brilliant performance to defeat world number two Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday's final in Turin.
Zverev, the Olympic singles gold medallist in Tokyo, won his tour-leading sixth trophy of the season and ended a run of five straight losses to defending champion Medvedev.
The German third seed broke once in each set as he swept US Open winner Medvedev aside in 75 minutes to add to the season-ending crown he won in 2018.
"It was great, I won the ATP Finals against someone I'd lost to five times in a row so I had to play one of my best matches," Zverev said.
"I'm happy with that and ready to go on holidays with this win now."
Zverev will skip the Davis Cup finals to be played in Madrid, Turin and Innsbruck from November 25 to December 5.
"There's no better way to end the season than winning here so obviously I'm incredibly happy. But I'm now very much looking forward to next year already," he said.
"It's very special, I'm super thrilled and super happy right now."
The ATP Finals, this year missing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have proved the breakout stage for the new generation of tennis, with the Grand Slams still largely beyond their reach.
This first final since the tournament's relocation from London was also the first to feature two players aged 25 or younger since 2005.
Zverev, conqueror of top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Saturday's semi-finals, landed the first blow against Medvedev by breaking for a 2-1 lead in the first set.
The Russian avoided further damage by saving another break point in game five but Zverev barely gave Medvedev a sniff, winning 20 of 25 points on serve to take the opener.
Zverev broke again at the start of the second set and held serve throughout, not offering a single break point and sealing victory with an ace out wide to avenge his round-robin loss to Medvedev.
An ATP-best 59th win of the season made Zverev the fourth player in tournament history to earn semi-final and final victories over the top-two ranked players, and first since Andre Agassi in 1990.
Zverev halted Djokovic's bid to match Federer with a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title. He also stopped Medvedev from becoming the first player to retain the trophy since Djokovic won it four times in a row between 2012 and 2015.
"It's been a great season. It's not easy to get to the Masters final and for myself I was really happy to be here," Medvedev said.
"Hopefully I'm going to be a part of many of these tournaments and can try to win one more time."
It was the third meeting in little over two weeks for Zverev and Medvedev, who beat the German in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters at the start of the month.
Zverev turned the tables on Medvedev to claim his 19th career title, but the 24-year-old is still searching for an elusive Grand Slam triumph after finishing runner-up to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.
"I've kind of succeeded on every single level. There only one thing missing, so I hope I can do that next year," said Zverev.
Medvedev, who shattered Djokovic's dreams of a calendar Grand Slam in New York, believes Zverev can take that next step.
"There are a lot of great players who don't have a Grand Slam title," Medvedev said.
"You never know where your career is going to go. Some players start to play worse, somebody gets injured, somebody wins 20 Grand Slams.
"Sascha (Zverev) is a great player who is capable of beating anybody, so he definitely can win a Grand Slam, but he's not the only one and that's where it gets tough.
"Is he capable? Yes. Is he going to do it? We never know."
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company%20profile
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MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
The%20stats%20and%20facts
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Easter%20Sunday
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
