Alcaraz starts with authority in Monte Carlo

The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz entered this Tuesday in the third round of the Monte Carlo tournament, in the Masters 1000 category and which is played on clay, after winning decisively in his debut against the Argentine Sebastián Báez (6-1, 6-3), in a match in which the Spaniard had an excellent first set, although his performance dropped in the second.

Carlos Alcaraz’s presentation on the dirt tour could not have been better. The Murcian, who is defending his title in Monte Carlo, surpassed the Argentine Sebastián Báez in his debut, especially in the first set (6-1), in a match that he controlled from start to finish. A remarkable level of play that dispels any type of doubts that could have generated his premature elimination in the Miami Masters 1000.

Alcaraz did what he wanted with his rival on the center court of Monte Carlo, with the exception of a section of the second set, scoring a total of 24 winning points, and allowing the Argentine to add only 4 games during the match. Furthermore, he was especially confident with his serve, despite giving up a break.

The start of the match for the Murcian would be a demonstration of intentions, achieving a partial 4-0 start, including two breaks in his first two turns at the rest. In the fifth game would come the only gap that Alcaraz would leave for his rival in the first set, finishing off the first set in the next two games (6-1), when the first 30 minutes of play had not even been completed.

And if El Palmar’s level of tennis was good in the first round, it would be the same or better in the second. Against a Báez who increased the aggressiveness in his tennis, Alcaraz’s response would be equally forceful in his start, where he achieved a 3-0 partial start. However, the Argentine took advantage of his first break ball, after a double fault by Alcaraz, to make the score 4-3.

But the ‘break’ against him would make Alcaraz regain his solidity in the game, and after a very close game, he would break his rival’s serve again. And, in his next turn of service, and in a blank, he would close his first victory of the season on clay. Now, in the third round, the winner of the duel between the Argentine Tomas Etcheverry and the Frenchman Terence Atmane will be measured.

SINNER DOES NOT FAIL AND BAUTISTA RETIRES DUE TO INJURY

For his part, the Italian Jannik Sinner also fulfilled his expectations in his debut in the tournament and destroyed the Frenchman Ugo Humbert in two sets (6-3, 6-0). The Italian barely had to have one hour and five minutes to reach the third round, in which his rival will emerge from the confrontation between the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo and the Czech Thomas Machac.

A match that began with both players showing confidence with their serves. But in the fifth game, Sinner would take advantage of his first break options to get a break up on the scoreboard. And it would not be the only one in the set, since the transalpine would do it again to close the set 6-4. The second quarter would have less history, in which Sinner handed down a donut to Humbert, who only added six points.

Furthermore, the other Spaniard who entered the fray on the day, Roberto Bautista, left due to injury when the match had barely been played for 21 minutes, in which the Italian Matteo Berrettini had a 4-0 lead on the scoreboard.