With only 17 years old, Carlos Alcaraz can already say that he has won a match in a Grand Slam, although, for now, it is from the previous phase. He tried it at Roland Garros in late September, but the victory eluded him despite even having match points against Australia's Aleksandar Vukic. This time, in the Australian Open qualy, whose men's team is disputed in Doha by the COVID-19 protocols, The Murcian did not miss the opportunity and rallied to win 5-7, 6-1 and 6-4 against the 28-year-old Slovakian and 184th in the world Filip Horansky.
With a punch that is increasing and the mettle more typical of a veteran than a newcomer, Alcaraz did not lose his composure despite the fact that the first set escaped him after opening it with a 3-0 in his favor because of a pair of double faults in the eleventh game. The second set was opened with fury and chained a 5-0 partial that left his rival speechless, in tow since then and until the end of the match. In the third set, Carlos, who was continually cheering, broke his rival's serve to get 2-1 and take out; and, with tremendous poise, the disciple of Juan Carlos Ferrero did not give up that advantage until closing the victory. His next opponent (Tuesday) will be Russian Karlovskiy (26 years and 258th). “I turned the lost balls to win the first set, but then I thought I had nothing to lose and I let go. It helped me a lot to do the routines that I have marked with my coach and my psychologist,” Alcaraz said after his victory.
“Maybe I gave too much importance to it because it was a Grand Slam and to be able to play in the final five-set draw, that is why I have become more nervous,” explains Carlos, who is “super satisfied” by the preseason. “I have grown both physically and mentally, I have undergone an important physical change and it has helped me a lot for this start of the season.” By last, Alcaraz spoke about the unusual absence of ball boys at the tournament: “It is the first time I have seen it in a preview, you can see that it will be because of COVID or because there are many games, I do not know, but I had never experienced it.
As for the rest of the Spanish, mixed luck. Mario Vilella passed without many problems, who beat Italian Gianessi 6-1 and 6-3 and he will see the Argentine Cerundolo, who beat another Spaniard, the veteran Guillermo García López, 6-2 and 6-4; and Carlos Taberner, who could with another transalpine player, Marcora and will run into the German Brown. Bernabé Zapata could not face the Ukrainian Stakhovsky, who beat him 7-6 (4) and 6-4. Tommy Robredo, who continues to fight on the circuit at 38, fell to Frenchman Hoang (eighth seed) 6-1, 7-5.
Double donut by Georgina García
Hurricane Giorgi passed through Dubai in the women's draw preview of the Australian Open, which takes place in Dubai. Georgina García Pérez endorsed the 18-year-old Russian and 253rd in the ranking Anastasia Zakharova with a double donut. In just 51 minutes, the Barcelona woman overwhelmed her rival and only needed three direct aces to do so, because she won 85% of the points with second serves. Now she will face the Italian Sara Errani (17th seed in the qualy). They did not have the same luck or expertise as Georgina Esther Guerrero, who lost against the French Burel 6-4 and 6-0; Nuria Parrizas, who fell to the Japanese Muramatsu 6-2, 7-6 (5); nor Cristian Bucsa, who succumbed to the American Vickery 6-1, 3-6 and 6-2. This Monday Lara Arruabarrena plays against the Romanian Buzarnescu, 22nd favorite of the previous one.
Results of the Australian Open preview.