Alcaraz and Rune, which are at stake from children to rooms today in Paris

the swiss Stan Wawrinka37 years old and three Grand Slam titles under his belt, came close Holger Rune at the net and, quite tired of the rudeness of the Dane and annoyed at losing a game in which he served to win, he whispered in his ear: “My advice is to stop behaving like a baby on court”.

He was not the first to have a scuffle with Holger Rune over his track numbers, underlined from his mother’s stand Roxene, which does not shy away from any controversy. Sometimes he also accompanies them soul, the sister who played tennis and caused the boy to develop his talent with the racket. He was born in a country with scattered traditions, although he had the advice of Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou, a former coach of Serena Williams, among others, and also a part-time mentor of Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Rune is from 2003, the same generation as Carlos Alcaraz, six days younger. They have been rivals and double partners in grassroots tournaments since they were kids. If the Murcian entered the ATP circuit like a thunderbolt rising to world number one as the champion of the US Open, the Nordic endorses his status as the former junior number 1 this season, where he broke into the top-100 in January. Now he is eighteenth.

From the games of the children’s categories, feeding many dreams that come true, to the serious matter of the Masters 1000 ATP quarterfinal as in Paris-Bercy. Today, around four o’clock in the afternoon, the first Alcaraz-Rune professional clash will take place, as the antecedent of the Next Gen of 2021 took place in a different format. The Spaniard prevailed 4-3, 4-2 and 4-0.

Alcaraz is on his way to seal the last number one of the year. If it is not in Paris, where he needs to be champion, everything is in his favor for a few days in ATP Finals in Turin. In the eighth he overcame the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, 6-1 and 6-3. He likes the surface of the Accor Arena in Paris, “it is faster than that of Astana and Basel, it is better for my game”, he assured.

Rune goes with the best in the final stages of the ATP Tour in indoor and hard court tournaments. His last streak was 16 wins and two losses, which was lost in the French capital Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev. In Russian, 6-4 and 7-5 in the eighth.

Champion in Stockholm, he was a finalist in Sofia and, last Sunday, in Basel, where he was beaten by Alcaraz’s executioner in the ‘semis’, Felix Auger-Aliassime, that may be an opponent again in the ‘semis’ of Paris. The Canadian continued to be a threat in Paris as he posted his 15th straight win to open the quarterfinals against Frances Tiafoe.

Today’s program in Paris-Bercy

Quarter finals

2:00 p.m
F. Tiafoe (USA/16)-F. Auger-Aliassime (Can/8)
Carlos Alcaraz (Esp/1)-Holger Rune (Din)
(not before 7:30 pm)
Novak Djokovic (Srb/6)-Lorenzo Musetti (Ita)
(not before 8:30 pm)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre/5)-Tommy Paul (USA)

The title becomes more expensive because the tennis players who are stronger in these months do not fail in Paris. Also six-time champion Novak Djokovic is going strong. These are 19 games won in 20 counting his Wimbledon revival. And his only KO is light, because it’s on Laver Cup against Auger-Aliassime. The Serbian, 35 years old and number 7, ousted Russian Karen Khachanov 6-4 and 6-1, whom she had beaten only once before, in the Paris 2018 final. She will face another young Italian on the rise, Lorenzo Musetti.