Carlos Alcaraz was crowned champion of the exhibition tournament ‘The Garden Cup’ this Wednesday, held at New York’s Madison Square Garden, then beat American Ben Shelton 4-6, 6-2 and 7-4.
The Murcian tennis player did not enter the match wellthat tied it 4-1 in the first set for Shelton, but ended up succumbing by essentially repeating the same two mistakes in the final games: poverty to others because of strong American services and errors when uploading to the network.
In front of the legendary pavilion full of almost 19,700 viewersAlcaraz, who recently admitted that he hadn’t moved a racket in over a week, She has always shown the good relationship that connects her with Shelton; where He doesn’t stop joking, he tries to ‘calm down’ and laugh. in every game.
“Come on, Carlitos, damn it,” was heard over and over again among the large Hispanic crowd that gathered at Madison Square Garden with the Spaniard as the protagonist of all eyes.
On the court, a whole recital of incredible blows, which is from volleys with no angle to the dashing ‘willy’, in an exhibition tone that drew an enthusiastic crowdor new hits by two tennis players and in a very NBA show format; including gift raffles and the infamous ‘kiss cam’.
In the second set, the world number 3 declared his superiority against Shelton (22 years old and number 21 in the ATP ranking) and seemed more comfortable, moving his rival from one side to another on the back court with strong parallels.
Shelton’s impressive left jab, which he reached at 241 kilometers per hour in his career (the sixteenth fastest in history), found himself facing a more energetic Alcaraz as the minutes.
Finally, The player from Murcia also won 7-4 in a certain tie-break, without previous games, where the tennis players even let two fans come down from the stands to play.
Alcaraz has beaten Shelton the two previous times they’ve faced each other: in Toronto last year and this year’s Laver Cup.
The Murcian is the star that everyone wants to see, and that -in addition to Shelton- andThe rest of the lineup consists of New Yorkers Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarroseventh and eighth respectively in the WTA rankings.
In his exhibition match, Pegula, who reached the final of the last US Open, succumbed to his compatriot Navarro, a semi-finalist in that tournament, 6-7, 5-6.
At the appointment at Madison Square Garden, home of the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangersother tennis figures such as former Australian player Rennae Stubbs and celebrities such as Voque editor-in-chief Anna Wintour also attended.
The setting is not surprising because, although recognized for his basketball exploits, It also hosted Davis Cup matches; exhibitions by stars such as Nadal, Federer, Björn Borg and John McEnroe; or the mythical ‘battle of the sexes’ where tennis player Billie Jean King swept player Bobby Riggs in 1973.
Charlotte, next US appointment for Alcaraz
This is not Alcaraz’s only exhibition on American soil, which This Friday he will face the American Frances Tiafoe, number 18 in the ATP ranking, in Charlotte (North Carolina).
After a season in which he won Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the friendly tournaments in the United States They will serve as preparations for the 2025 Australian Openthe first Grand Slam of the year and where he made sure he went with the hope of winning it.
Source: La Verdad
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