MADRID, 27 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis players Carlos Alcaraz, Paula Badosa and Roberto Bautista achieved victory in the first round of the Beijing tournament with comfortable victories in two sets, while Roberto Carballés was also eliminated in two sets in the first tournament of the Asian tour, category ATP500 and WTA1000 played on outdoor hard courts, and which begins the final stretch of the year.
The Murcian passed the first test without too many problems against the Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, whom he beat by a double 6-4 after 1 hour and 22 minutes of play. It was a comfortable match and in which he was always ahead thanks to his breaks in the first game of both sets.
From that initial advantage, the number three in the world was able to dominate at will an opponent who barely worried the rest, only in the tenth game of the first set, in which Alcaraz served to win the set, and had to save a 0-40. The one from El Palmar knew how to deal with the situation and made it 6-4.
In the second set, the champion of Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year also broke in the first game and at the first opportunity, creating a gap on the scoreboard that he barely struggled to maintain, with the exception of the fourth game, in which he put the 1- 3 after reaching 40-40. In the rest of the set, he only lost another point on serve, against a Frenchman who had no opportunity to equalize the set, closing the match blank.
After this victory in which he was able to gain sensations, without playing at his highest level, the Spaniard will try to continue growing in the second round against the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor, whom he has defeated on four of the five occasions in which they have faced each other.
The good news is continued by the Spanish number one in the WTA ranking, Paula Badosa, who easily overcame her debut in Beijing against the Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova, whom she beat 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 26 minutes. The Catalan followed the same script as Alcaraz and was ahead the entire match thanks to the break she achieved in the second game.
He lost the advantage in the next one, but was able to maintain control of the match despite the pressure from his rival, who had a break point at 4-3 on the scoreboard to equalize the set. Badosa responded with a ‘break’ in the next game and closed the set blank, demonstrating his superiority in the match.
In the second set, they continued with their winning momentum and added two more games in a row, chaining five, to go 2-0. That great start did a lot of damage to the Bulgarian, who had to suffer in each turn of service to add up. His opportunity came in the sixth game with the score at 3-2, after saving three break balls against Badosa in the previous one.
There, the Spaniard had to face four break opportunities, which she masterfully saved to deliver the blow to her rival. At 4-2, the player from Girona was able to break Tomova’s serve in the next game and close the match with her serve to certify her pass to the second round of the tournament, where she will face the winner of the duel between the Slovakian Sramkova and the Russian Alexandrova.
In addition to Alcaraz and Badosa, Roberto Bautista will also be in the second round after defeating fellow Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in two sets 6-3 and 6-4 in one hour and 23 minutes. The player from Castellón was scheduled to face the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, but, at the last minute, his rival announced his withdrawal from the tournament, leaving his place for the Frenchman as a ‘lucky loser’ after having fallen in the previous phase.
Against Rinderknech, Bautista was very solid, saving the five break chances his rival had, and taking advantage of two of the four he had to take the victory comfortably. In the round of 16 he will face the Czech Jiri Lehecka, whom he already beat in the last Davis Cup in Valencia.
The negative note was carried out by Roberto Carballés, who could not overcome the Russian Karen Khachanov, falling 6-4 and 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes. It was an even match in which the Canary Islands started leading 1-3 thanks to the break in the fourth game. However, the Muscovite recovered it in the next one and added a 5-1 run to take the set. In the second set, the tie was broken in the seventh game, with the Spaniard having no chance to equalize.