Alexander Zverev topped Carlos Alcaraz in the four points that mattered most, at the ATP Finals

“I’m not going to win a lot of baseline rallies against Carlos Alcaraz,” Alexander Zverev said after his 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 win over the world No. 2 at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday. “So I knew I had to make a lot of first serves.”

Zverev did indeed make a lot of first serves on this afternoon: 77 percent of them, to be exact. And he hit 16 aces, many of them just when he needed them. Still, he was being a little too modest. You’re not going to win many matches against anyone if you don’t win a lot of the baseline rallies, and the German more than held his own against the Spaniard.

Statistically, in fact, he was the superior ball-striker, finishing with seven more winners (37 to 30) and 10 fewer errors (15 to five). While Zverev isn’t a vaunted volleyer, he was a little better at the net, too, winning 16 of 24 points up there. And while he’ll never bring as many fans to their feet as the speedier Alcaraz, Zverev had his share of highlight-reel moments on this afternoon.

But statistics and spectacular shots only get you so far. You have to hit those shots when they matter most, and Zverev did that as well. There were 189 points played in this two-and-a-half-hour match, but four of them stand out as especially important now. Zverev won all four—two with his own winners, and two when Alcaraz made inexplicable mistakes.

The first came in the opening game of the second set. Alcaraz had just finished the first set on a high note, raising his game and running away with the tiebreaker. After losing in the first round in Bercy two weeks ago, he seemed to have returned to old brilliant self. Now he had a break point to start the second set, and a look at an easy backhand. Rather than drill it confidently, he pulled up and sent it long. Zverev escaped with a hold, broke in the next game, and held for 3-0. Instead of putting Zverev away, Alcaraz opened the door.

Afterward Zverev zeroed in on that moment as key: “Saving the break point in the first game of the second set was obviously” important, he said.

Zverev held out for the second set, and he and Alcaraz each held twice to start the third. That’s when Alcaraz made his second crucial mistake. Down break point, he served and volleyed. Zverev hit his return back toward him, but instead of volleying the ball, Alcaraz let it go. It landed in, and Zverev had another service break. For all of his crowd-pleasing, Alcaraz hasn’t been playing match-winning tennis of late, and this was another case of it.

In the end, it was Zverev who made two match-winning shots.

Serving for it at 5-4 in the third, down 0-15, he ranged far to his left for a backhand and sent the ball hooking into the corner, where it landed on the sideline for a seemingly impossible winner. Alcaraz, the man who’s usually on the other end of this shots, could only smile in appreciation.

Still, Alcaraz bounced right back to reach break point. That’s when Zverev’s serve was there to bail him out. He saved break point with an ace, and closed with two service winners for a satisfying win that ran his record against Alcaraz to 4-3.

“I was enjoying today, the fans are crazy,” said Zverev, who slipped and fell hard in the third set, but didn’t falter afterward.

He rode the same crazy fans to a title in Turin two years ago. He’s off to a strong start again.