The Norwegian tennis player won in two sets against the Spaniard and started his participation in Turin in style. Regardless, the Hispanic still has a chance to qualify for the semi-finals.
We were waiting in Turin for the debut of Carlos Alcaraz for many, the only character capable of challenging the top of the circuit with Jannik sinner . The current world number two seemed to be regaining strength in the latter part of the year and was looking forward to making his debut in top form at the ATP Finals. However, Casper Ruud, sixth in the ranking, would say the opposite and would end up winning 6-1 and 7-5, in one hour and 25 minutes.
The Spaniard faced the Norwegian at the start of the group John Newcombe, who completes Alexander Zverev and Andrei Rublev . And the start left several doubts for the Murcian, very surprised by his rival in the first round. Two breaks in the fourth and sixth games were enough for the Norwegian to win the first set, 6-1.
In the second set, Alcaraz woke up for a moment from his lethargy. He played much more focused, lifted his serve, adjusted his shots and, at times, his level was much closer to what he is usually known for. Ruud, for his part, felt the pressure and dropped his serve for the first time in sixth games . However, while everything seemed to be going well for the student of Juan Carlos Ferrero, His opponent did not give up and recovered the break in the ninth game, taking advantage of the Hispanic’s lack of consistency.
A big comeback
The crisis for Carlitos deepened during his next turn of serve, where he again made uncharacteristic errors with his forehand. His rival did not miss the opportunity and managed another break to lead 6-5 with his serve.
It remained to be seen whether Ruud would be able to close out the victory with his serve and resist the tension of being on the eve of such an important victory. And he passed the test. He overcame logical nerves and sealed the duel with an ace, which, moreover, gave a different color to a second half where the results had not been with him.
Regardless, Alcaraz still has a chance to reach the semifinals. Yes indeed, He must beat Zverev and Rublev, who meet this afternoon in their tournament debuts.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
