Roland Garros | Alcaraz also wins in his debut at Roland Garros

Four months after making his debut at the Australian Open with a win against the Dutch Van de Zandschulp, Carlos Alcaraz has repeated a triumphant debut in the second Grand Slam of his career, Roland Garros. The Murcian beat the Valencian on Monday Bernabé Zapata, 24, a boy who had beaten him in the final of a Challenger in 2020 and who got rid of with a surprising job for 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 and 7-6 (4) in a hard and worked match by the two Spaniards. Alcaraz, who played in a Nike shirt without magicians, as his idol Nadal used to do, will try to improve his participation in Melbourne beating his next opponent, Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, who could with the Serbian Dusan Lajovic (6-4, 6-3, 0-6 and 6-2). Not even the Spaniard achieved his first triumph in the French championship with more precociousness than Carlos, who is 18 years and 26 days old. Rafa was 18, 11 months and 22 days old when he beat Burgmuller in 2005. When Rafa won his first match then he won the tournament, I can't compare myself to him “Carlos explained.

This new success of the pearl of tennis of the Navy, provisionally places him in position 82 of the ranking, 15 above the 97 that he officially occupies. Carlos faced a difficult opponent, who knew him well and who made things difficult for him from the start on one of the small tracks of the Parisian complex, which was filled with the public to see the two Spanish prospects. His delivery did not disappoint with a devastating exchange of blows. Perhaps both of them lacked some variation in their game, in the case of Alcaraz, who is still very young, it is something that is learned over time and Zapata can still improve, who has plenty of power and discipline.

But today, it seems a little above him the right eye of the native tennis for his ability to generate power and winning shots (he added 41). In addition, Bernabé suffered some discomfort in his right leg that weighed down on him. Still he fought until the end, when he gave in in the fourth set tiebreaker. Charly once again showed traces of a champion, with a rage that sometimes draws attention, but that drives him. “Let's hope it is the first win of many and that I have many Roland Garros to play,” he said.

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