It’s not uncommon to see Carlos Alcaraz’s greatest threat coming from within – he often complicates matches by slipping into minor crises when he seems to be in control. However, this hasn’t been the case at Indian Wells. Against Quentin Halys, he secured a nearly effortless victory, showcasing his superiority, and he achieved the same against Denis Shapovalov, winning 6-2 and 6-4 in 83 minutes, this time against a more formidable opponent.
Shapovalov, currently hovering around the top 30, has previously been a top 10 player and has recently won an ATP 500 title. He’s no stranger to taking down leaders in the circuit. Nevertheless, he faced two significant challenges against Alcaraz: first, his serve was off, with a poor percentage of first serves and a whopping eight double faults. Secondly, a focused and serious Alcaraz didn’t give him any room to mount a comeback when he did manage to get into the game.
Alcaraz didn’t play a spectacular match, but he was direct and effective, capitalizing on Shapovalov’s errors, varying his serves well, and making the most of break points, except for a brief period at the beginning. He quickly found himself with a predictable 5-0 lead. Then, he hit a slump, partly because Shapovalov was better at returning serves than serving himself. However, this crisis only lasted two games, and Alcaraz soon took the first set.
In the second set, both players improved their serving. Shapovalov, who had more room for improvement, might have surpassed himself, but Alcaraz was more effective: he didn’t concede a single set point and was the one who broke serve at the crucial moment, putting the match out of reach and advancing to the round of 16 with minimal exertion. When it came down to relying on instincts and brilliance, he delivered. With 18 wins in Indian Wells, anything less than a final victory for Alcaraz this year, given the absence of Djokovic, Zverev, and Sinner, would be considered an upset.