Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the quarterfinals at the ATP event in Rio de Janeiro, defeating Fabio Fognini in three sets, recovering from a first set of disadvantage. The young Spanish champion has Novak Djokovic and first place in the ATP ranking in his sights.
After becoming the youngest number one tennis player in the history of the ATP ranking last year, at the end of a season that saw him triumph at the 1000m in Miami and Madrid but above all by getting his hands on his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, the Spaniard has had several physical problems, which prevented him from participating in the first well-deserved ATP Finals, and in the Australian Open.
After an absence of more than three months from the playing fields, the youngster from El Palmar is back and immediately conquered his 7th title in Buenos Aires, and is now aiming straight for Rio De Janeiro. In the first round, the champion from Flushing Meadows got rid of Mateus Alves without particular worries in two comfortable sets, played between Tuesday and Wednesday, due to the rain that hit Rio.
At the end of the match there was a funny moment that saw a smiling Alcaraz posing with two dogs, a French Bulldog and a Poodle. A sweet scene that has not gone unnoticed in the eyes of his fans in the stands and at home. The 20-year-old then re-shared the video published by Tennis TV on his social channels, attaching a heart and an emoticon depicting the two dogs.
â¤ï¸ð¶ https://t.co/h1Rt11dcem — Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) February 23, 2023
Andy Murray is super in Doha
A super positive start to the season for Andy Murray.
After the two fantastic comebacks at the Australian Open, the Briton is continuing his positive streak at the beginning of 2023. In fact, the Scotsman won another marathon in Doha, in which he defeated Alexander Zverev, before beating three sets Alexandre Muller reaching the semifinals.
In the press conference he told: “I played very passive tennis in the first set. In the beginning I put in a lot of balls, which wasn’t bad, but when he found his rhythm that was enough. He is a very solid player from the baseline, he moves very well and puts in a lot of shots.
On slow courts like this, you can’t leave the ball in the middle of the court. He forces you to run a lot. In the beginning I found the game very physically demanding. At the start of the second set I started taking more risks, trying more with my shots.
When I did, I found that I controlled virtually every exchange, hitting with more depth and more speed. I was able to go to the net a lot and put pressure on him like that. I played very well in the last two sets, but in the first set you can see that I’m looking for the balance between playing offensively and aggressively, but at the same time keeping my way of playing, and in the first set I didn’t find this balance.
