“Fought until the last point”- Carlos Alcaraz survives a topsy-turvy affair against Albert Ramos-Vinolas at Roland-Garros
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Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz outlasted Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1 6-7(7) 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4 at the French Open after saving a match point and coming back from a break down in the fifth set. Along with seasoned Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the 19-year-old is one of the favourites to win the tournament, but he only made it to the third round by the skin of his teeth after four hours and 34 minutes.
Alcaraz was playing Ramos-Vinolas for the third time, and he already had a 2-0 record against him, having beaten him in his debut ATP Tour encounter at the Rio Open in 2020 and in the Umag semi-final last year on his way to his maiden triumph. He started strong against the world No 44, now a different beast as the world No 6 and a favourite for the French Open title.
The winner of a match between another top young player, Sebastian Korda, and seasoned Frenchman Richard Gasquet will face Alcaraz next. In what was Alcaraz’s first match in the Monte Carlo Masters and his first match after winning the Miami Open, Korda was the last player to defeat the 19-year-old. Following his return second-round triumph in Paris, he went on to win the ATP 500 in Barcelona and a second Masters title in Madrid, defeating Djokovic and Nadal along the way and is now on a 12-match winning run.
“It was a great battle against a great player”- Carlos Alcaraz
With a near-flawless performance in the opening set, Carlos Alcaraz, who has risen rapidly in the last 12 months, appeared unfazed by the blustery circumstances on the Simonne Mathieu Court. Ramos-Vinolas, a 34-year-old clay-court specialist who reached the quarter-finals in Paris six years ago, had no answer for Alcaraz’s tremendous power and accuracy.
In the first set, the teenager’s serve was equally lethal, as he only gave up three points in his service games. His seasoned opponent, on the other hand, was far from finished, putting up a greater fight as Alcaraz’s game began to show signs of fatigue, notably a forehand that went wide on Ramos-Vinolas’ set point.
With Alcaraz clearly unsettled, having lost his earlier momentum and control, Ramos-Vinolas manoeuvred him around and broke him to take the third set 2-1. Alcaraz was paying the price for his unforced errors, and his 44th, a routine volley into the net, handed Ramos-Vinolas the break and a 2-1 lead. Faced with the possibility of a shock exit, Alcaraz saved a match point at 5-4 to force a fifth set. He had to come back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game before dispatching Ramos-Vinolas with an ace on his first match point.
In his on-court interview, the Spaniard said, “I feel tired but I mean it was a great battle against a great player. I knew it would be a top match. We fought until the last point. I am so happy with the performance today. I had my chances if I saved that match point. The tiebreak I was aggressive. In the fifth set, I was fresh. It was like the beginning of the match. That match point changed everything.”
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)