It’s been three weeks Carlos Alcaraz He fell in the semifinals of the US Open against Daniil Medvedev, just days after he surrendered the world number 1 to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. After a few days of rest, the Murcian returned this Friday (not before 1:30 pm, Movistar Deportes) in action.
It’s on Beijing 500 tournament, on the hard court, marking the start of the Asian tour for the Spaniard. German is waiting for you Yannick Hanfmann in a first round which will mark the China premiere of Alcaraz. The pandemic has prevented tournaments from being played in this country for the past four years, so Alcaraz was unable to debut in a part of the season that will continue at the Shanghai Masters 1000.
In Djokovic came out in these tournaments, Alcaraz is presented with a good opportunity to add points to the ranking, where the Serbian leads him by more than 3,000 points (11,795 against 8,535). Of course, Djokovic won’t be back on the courts until the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 (he won’t defend his 750 points from last year’s titles in Tel Aviv and Astana), so the Spaniard will try to get closer to his rival in the rankings. for the French event and the ATP Finals at the end of the season.
However, to achieve this he has a very difficult situation ahead of him in the Chinese capital. Against the debut Hanfmann, German player who occupies the 53rd place in the world ranking and Alcaraz has never faced top-level events. Hanfmann had accumulated a five-match losing streak before reaching this tournament, where he achieved two impressive victories in the qualifying phase against Dusan Lajovic and Miomir Kecmanovic.
The German is the first stop for Alcaraz in a tournament with a very high level. Eight top10 (all but Djokovic and Taylor Fritz) were present in the draw. So, Karen Khachanov or Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 16, Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals and Holger Rune or Jannik Sinner in the semifinals could be potential rivals for the Spaniard in a draw with Daniil Medvedev the second favorite. For this reason, Alcaraz has to return to the game as soon as possible against Hanfmann in start this Asian tour with the best sensation.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
