The Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, number 1 in the world, raised his level to achieve in three sets his second consecutive qualification for the round of 16 at Roland Garros, after defeating the Canadian Denis Shapovalov, 32nd in the ranking, 6-1, 6-4 and 6-2 in two hours and 10 minutes.
The Murcian will face Italian Lorenzo Musetti, 18th in the ranking, who defeated him last year in the final of the Stuttgart tournament, the only duel between them, for a place in the quarterfinals.
Except in a section of the second set, in which he was 4-1 down, Alcaraz dominated the duel without problems, in which the wind was less annoying than in the previous one against the Japanese Taro Daniel, where he dropped a set .
“I’ve had a downturn, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. That shows that you have to have a very strong mentality, that you have to be focused. But in general I’m satisfied with the level I’ve shown in this match,” said the Spaniard.
In number 1 in the world, it came out like a hurricane at the plant, on the night shift, with an almost full stand, and with a temperature that invited you to wrap yourself up.
In a whirlwind of tennis, he endorsed a tennis player 5-0 who is coming out of a labyrinth of injuries that kept him from the top positions in the ranking he held in 2020, when he had a brief foray into the top-10.
In his last breath he avoided leaving with a donut, despite the fact that Alcaraz enjoyed two balls to endorse it.
Shapovalov reacted at the beginning of the second set, placing himself 4-1, taking advantage of a slump in the Spaniard, which reminded him of the one he had in the previous match and which cost him a set.
But this time his reaction was immediate and was enormously strong, with seven consecutive games that not only allowed him to win the second round, but also set the last one on track.