The elimination of Carlos Alcaraz in quarter finals of Toronto Masters 1000in Canada, at the hands of the American Tommy Paul, who justly beat him 3-6, 6-4 and 3-6, caused the young tennis player from Murcia to stop being the best Spanish player in a tournament that he played after having been to past 12 where he took part in the ATP circuit.
The one from El Palmar, who at 20 years old is still number 1 in the world and has more difference compared to the second, Novak Djokovic, than he did when he started playing at Sobeys Stadium in Ontario -now he has 9,395 points to the Serb’s 8,795, that is, 600 of the advantage, had a bad day and paid for it by losing to a rival, 26 years old and fourteenth in the ranking, who was higher.
Alcaraz, therefore, will not be in the semifinals of this championship, something the Malaga native will do. Alexander Davidovich Fokina, who defeated another American like Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-3 and will face Australian Alex de Miñaur this time.
Davidovich was, therefore, the hope of the Spaniards in Toronto when Alcaraz usually became a great asset of the national tennis to win titles.
No wonder, in this 2023, where the Murcian has the baggage of 49 victories and only five defeats on the circuit, he has won Wimbledon, the Indian Wells and Madrid Masters 1,000 and the ATP 500 of Barcelona and Queen’s and the ATP 250 of Buenos Aires.
In the other four events this year in which the student of Juan Carlos Ferrero took part, no other Spaniard surpassed him, particularly in the Grand Slam at Roland Garros and the Masters 1,000 in Miami -semifinals in both tournaments- , in the Masters 1,000 in Rome -third round- and in the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro -final-.
In 2022 he was also the best Spaniard in the Masters 1,000 in Paris-Bercy -quarterfinals- and in the ATP 500 in Basel -semifinals-.
Before this KO in Toronto, you have to go back to the ATP 500 in Astana to see Alcaraz staying out ahead of another Spaniard. On that occasion, the Palma native was knocked out in the first round against Belgian David Goffin 5-7, 3-6, while Roberto Bautista from Castellón reached the second round, defeating Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (6).
That happened in mid-September 2022 and eleven months and 13 tournaments after the presence of Carlos, it happened again that he was not the best Spaniard in a tournament in which he participated.
Source: La Verdad
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