Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. Today, we’re diving into some exciting news from the world of tennis. If you’re as passionate about tennis as I am, you’ll love this update on Carlos Alcaraz’s latest performance at the ATP Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz, the world number three, has just scored his first victory at the ATP Finals. This win comes just two days after he faced a tough loss to Casper Ruud and dealt with some breathing issues due to the cold weather. Despite these challenges, Alcaraz managed to defeat Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 in an hour and 36 minutes. This victory keeps him in contention for a spot in the semi-finals, where he will face off against Alexander Zverev in their last round-robin stage match on Friday.
Alcaraz played solidly behind both his first and second serves, facing no break points and keeping the pressure on Rublev. Despite Rublev’s efforts to raise his level in the second set, it wasn’t enough to secure a better result. The Russian created two set points in the tiebreak but missed them, allowing Alcaraz to seal the deal in straight sets.
Carlos tamed his strokes nicely, landing 31 winners and 20 unforced errors, which left his rival on a 14-20 ratio. Rublev, on the other hand, blasted 30 service winners but struggled from the baseline, trailing in mid-range exchanges and ultimately losing the match in that segment.
This win is particularly significant given the tough conditions Alcaraz faced leading up to it. Just two days ago, he was dealing with breathing issues due to cold weather and had lost his previous match against Casper Ruud. However, he showed remarkable resilience and determination to bounce back.
Alcaraz served well in the opener and kept the pressure on Rublev throughout three consecutive return games. Rublev saved two break points in the fifth game with some fine hitting before squandering a 40-15 lead at 3-3. Alcaraz capitalized on this opportunity by cracking a forehand down the line winner for a break point and moving ahead.
The Spaniard cemented his lead with a hold at 30 in game eight and made another push on the return in the next one. He painted a forehand crosscourt winner for a set point and welcomed Rublev’s loose forehand for the second consecutive break and 6-3 in 37 minutes.
In the second set, Rublev recovered his strokes and followed Alcaraz’s pace closely. He survived deuces on serve in games two and four but couldn’t maintain this level throughout all games. The tiebreak saw Alcaraz earn a mini-break in the third point and defend superbly in the eighth point to open up a 5-3 gap with a backhand down-the-line winner.
Rublev bounced back with three straight points but generated only one set point. Alcaraz saved it with a forehand winner before landing another powerful serve for 7-6 and securing match point after Rublev saved it with a service winner followed by an opponent’s forced error.
World number three converted match point with a sharp return, welcoming another forced error from Rublev and securing victory.
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