Carlos Alcaraz debuted with success in the Beijing tournament. The Murcian, second seed, defeated the German this Friday Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 37 minutes.
It was his first match since his loss three weeks ago in the US Open semifinals against Daniil Medvedev, and The fact is that inactivity is noticeable in the early stages of the crash.
After both held serve in the first two games, the first break came for the Spaniard. however, A series of untimely unforced errors gave a counterbreak to an enthusiastic Hanfmann.53rd in the world ranking, reaching the qualifying phase after adding five consecutive defeats.
A new push from the Spaniard allowed him to go 4-2 upa marker that seems certain to decide the first round.
It’s not like that. After squandering two break points to go 5-2 and serving, Alcaraz again disconnected, victim of his mistakes and the inspiration of a Hanfmann who starred in several points that brought the crowd that packed the court to its feet.
The turning point came in the ninth game. With the score at 4-4, both showed their best tennis and, in the fourth, Alcaraz got a break that would be decisive to close out the first set 6-4.
The second set has less of a story. After a few games of trial and error, Alcaraz stepped forward in the third to break the serve of an opponent who was losing steam as the minutes passed.
Despite not being completely comfortable at any time and constantly failing more than necessary, the Murcian imposes his superiority, until closing out the match with a break that allowed him to make it a 6-3 final.
In this way, Alcaraz, which debuted on Chinese soil after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, took the first step in its goal of regaining the number 1. With Djokovic out of Beijing and Shanghai, Alcaraz has a good chance to add points to the rankingswhere 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. face the French event and the ATP Finals at the end of the season.
Alcaraz will seek his place in the quarterfinals, on Sunday, against Italian Lorenzo Musettiwho defeated Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.
From the rest of the day we must highlight the shocking defeat of Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was clearly outclassed by Chilean Nicolás Jarry 6-4, 6-4.
Things went better for other favorites. Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev They sealed their pass to the second round in the morning, although it felt very different.
The Russian, second seed, overcame a tough nut to crack, the American Tommy Paul, who was overwhelmed by the tennis of Medvedev who still seems to be in top form after reaching the final at the last US Open. In the end, 6-2, 6-1 in 1 hour and 20 minutes to advance to the round of 16where they will face Australian Alex de Minaur.
Holger Rune also advanced on the fast track. The Dane, coming off a small crisis of results on the American tour, found no rival in Felix Auger-Alliassime, whom he defeated 6-4, 6-4. The Canadian is still a long way from the level that took him to the Top 10 in 2022 and has never once delivered the feeling of being able to turn the score around.
Rune will now face Grigor Dimitrovwho beat Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-1.
The one who suffered, and beautifully, was Jannik Sinner. The Italian, Carlos Alcaraz’s likely opponent in the semifinals, needed three sets and nearly three hours to knock Britain’s Dan Evans (6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3) out of the competition.
Everything seemed to be going well for Sinner after winning the first set (6-4) and taking the lead in the second, but then he started losing consciousness and let his rival into the match. Evans did not waste the opportunity and took the second set in a tiebreak (6-7), forcing the Italian to once again show his best level to keep himself out of serious trouble.
Andrey Rublev also sufferedwho had to return to his match against Cameron Norrie (4-6, 6-1, 6-4).
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.
