The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz qualified this Friday for the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open, fourth Masters 1,000 of the season, after getting rid of the Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko without excessive problems, whom he defeated in two sets 6-2, 6-1 .
The Murcian began the defense of his reign in the Caja Mágica with good feelings, where he seeks to be the first to win the tournament in three consecutive years. Despite his inactivity both on the court, since his elimination in Miami, and on red clay, since his abandonment at the end of February in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the current champion, wearing protection on his right arm that has Given some headaches, he firmly made his debut without much opposition and was ‘warming up his engines’ in the capital.
The one from El Palmar only needed a little over an hour to leave Shevchenko on the road, who could not even take advantage of the Spaniard’s lack of inactivity on the court and who conceded too much. However, Alcaraz was seen with his usual agility and speed, confirming that although he had not been able to train with a racket, he had made an effort to shore up his physical level.
His powerful ‘drive’ ran well through the crowded Manolo Santana and to this he added his usual good handling at the net, where he did not hesitate to finish many points. He also had mistakes, such as in the two breaks he conceded, one in each round, perhaps the product of a certain ‘relaxation’ and which did not cost him dearly in any case because the Kazakh did not find a way to demand of him.
Shevchenko was always in tow. Alcaraz came out well on the court, focused and with rhythm in his blows, quickly achieving the break and having a second chance that his rival saved to stay standing at the first break.
The double ‘Grand Slam’ winner did not let up and did not give much respite to the Kazakh, who could not avoid losing serve again to make the set very uphill. The one from El Palmar had no problems closing it despite the fact that he gave way and took it from him after a bad sixth game that did not decenter him.
In the second quarter there was not much story either. The current champion continued firm and dominating against Shevchenko who had a hard time dominating and hitting winning shots. Two breaks made it 3-0 before the world number three returned to deliver his serve in another bad game, from which he recovered to fast-track his ticket to the third round where he will face Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, who left out the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, twenty-eighth favorite.
DAVIDOVICH ADVANCES
Along with Alcaraz, the Andalusian Alejandro Davidovich also advanced to the third round at the Caja Mágica, the twenty-seventh seed of the tournament, who successfully defeated the Chinese tennis player Juncheng Sang, invited by the organization, in two sets 7-5, 6- 3.
The man from Malaga, who is not in his best moment of results, had to work especially in the first set to get rid of a rival who had entered the second round after a four-hour marathon against the Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
The Spaniard did not take advantage of two breaks that gave him an advantage in the initial round, but with a third he avoided an always uncomfortable ‘sudden death’, while in the second he raised his level to comfortably close his pass to a third round where He will face a demanding rival like the Russian Andrey Rublev, seventh favorite.