The writing is pretty much on the wall for Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman at the ATP Finals. The German and the Argentine will battle each other on Wednesday, knowing full well that another defeat will put them a step closer to the exit.

Must-win ATP Finals tie for Diego Schwartzman and Alexander Zverev

It’s a high-stakes encounter where neither can take a backward step as winning is the only guarantee to progress in the tournament. 

Currently ranked Number 7 in the ATP singles rankings, Zverev lost his previous round-robin tie to reigning Paris Masters champion Daniil Medvedev. It was a rematch of the Masters’ showdown which saw the Russian lift his maiden trophy at Bercy.

However, while the Bercy title clash was decided in three sets, the ATP Finals showdown saw a more emphatic win for the Russian. Not giving Zverev a sniff at ATP Finals tie, Medvedev dished out clinical tennis, winning 6-3, 6-4.

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Zverev on a ranking freefall since Bercy final loss

Zverev, who made the final of the US Open this year, dropped down in the standings in the year-end rankings released by the ATP. His loss in the Masters final had a lot to do with his drop in the rankings.

Schwartzman, on the other hand, qualified for the season-ender for the first time in his career, despite losing in the quarterfinals at Bercy. Though not weighed down by the pressure of expectations at his maiden ATP Finals, the Argentine would want to avoid an exit in the round-robin stage.

Zverev, Schwartzman tied in head-to-head record

As far as the head-to-head record goes, Schwartzman and Zverev are currently tied at 2-2. However, what puts the German at an advantage ahead of the ATP Finals tie is that both his wins over the Argentine came at indoor hardcourt events.

Will the German win the bragging rights this time? Only time will.

Schwartzman did show some early promise in his previous match against 17-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic before losing the plot. Currently, at No. 9 in the ATP standings, Schwartzman even won a break off the Serb in the opening set before his game surprisingly fell away.

The superior game and skill-set of the Serb told in the end as Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2. The Serb raised his game by a fair few notches to recover from the slow start and tame the spunky Argentine.