MADRID, 21 One. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Italian tennis player Matteo Berrettini put an end this Friday to the options of the young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open, the first ‘Grand Slam’ of the season, after winning in the third round in a tough match decided in his favor in five sets ( 6-2, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 7-6), and now Pablo Carreño will try to ‘avenge’ him in the round of 16 by defeating the American Sebastian Korda 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-3.
The Murcian, 18 years old and seeded number 31, had a tough obstacle to get into the top 16 of the ‘great’ oceanic and could not overcome it, despite the fact that he showed once again that he can be one of the great promises of a not too distant future.
Juan Carlos Ferrer’s pupil was close to signing a great comeback against a level and very solid rival like the Italian, last Wimbledon finalist and seventh favorite in Melbourne, but he lacked some nerve in the ‘sudden death’ that defined the pass and where Berrettini was calmer.
It was a tough fight of more than four hours in the Rod Laver, a stage where Alcaraz exhibited his talent and power (51 winners), insufficient against the Italian, who knew how to recover his strength at the right time and when he had seen how the Spanish he had equaled two sets down.
The seven in the world hit first, taking the first set with more difficulties than the score indicates, since before breaking and chaining five games in a row he had to save five break balls. The second set was of a high level on the part of both and Alcaraz was able to balance an initial break before finally falling in the ‘tiebreak’ and seeing how things went uphill for him.
But there he took out his character to sign a great reaction. Supported by his best tennis and his service, the man from Murcia closed the doors to his rival from the rest and was calm to take advantage of his chances in each round. A 6-4 and, above all, the 6-2 in the fourth quarter showed that he wanted more ‘battle’ on the center court.
Berrettini then drew on his experience to refocus on a fifth set of almost an hour and 23 minutes, with few loopholes on the part of both and which was decided in ‘sudden death’ after Alcaraz saved a match point. The Spanish, then, did not control his momentum and the Italian did not waste it to sentence.
Now, the Italian will face another Spaniard, the Asturian Pablo Carreño, who qualified for the fourth round of the first ‘Grand Slam’ of the season after beating the American Sebastian Korda in four sets 6-4, 7-5 , 6-7(6), 6-3.
The one from Gijón reached what is his ‘wall’ in Melbourne for the third time after a solid game, but in which he had to work to get it forward thanks to a great day with his ‘drive’, with which he signed 24 of his 53 winning shots.
Carreño got his pass on track after winning the first two sets, with some suffering in the second where he had to save four break balls at 4-4. Korda held on in the third and was able to save a 5/3 deficit in the ‘sudden death’ to lengthen the duel, but the Spaniard no longer gave any more concessions and with three breaks he closed his pass to the round of 16.