between the Carlos Alcaraz vulnerable of the US Open and the one that started in the Davis Cup and settled in the Laver Cup half an abyss. The Spaniard, 21 years old and world No. 3, has resumed the foundations of his successful triptych of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Olympic silver. Having recovered his best spirit, physical power and mental clairvoyance, the Murcian sets out to conquer China. He has already gotten fully into the mess of the ATP 500 in Beijing, after fighting an intense battle with the Russian Karen Khachanovwhom he beat 7-5 and 6-2 in 1h.36′.
The result can be misleading. Nor does the playing time do justice to the work that Alcaraz had to face to beat for the fourth time in his career Karen Khachanov, 28 years old and world No. 27, who for a long time endured the frenetic pace of hitting imposed by the pupil of Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Alcaraz needed 64 minutes, two breaks in nine opportunities to do them, to tie the opening set. They hit the ball with violence, which traveled at dizzying speed from one side of the net to the other. There was also subtlety, with those surprising drop shots from Charly. And if not, they are accompanied by millimeter balloons. He persevered until he broke the resistance of his emboldened rival, a disciple of the Madrid native. Pepo Clavet.
It had not been worth it with 3-2 and serve, since he suffered a break of serve, but Alcaraz did not concede in the final stretch of the set, with a 3-0 that meant 7-5.
The player of El Palmar He is used to playing at one hundred percent for many, many minutes. It costs more for a high-level tennis player, although less gifted than a super star like Alcaraz. This one maintained the cadence, the demand. There came a time when it was too much for Khachanov, who deserved an outstanding grade for tennis and attitude, but the honor roll was built by Alcaraz himself, who sealed the classification with more resources and accelerating his actions.
Khachanov asked a lot, Alcaraz gave more, who repeats the semifinals of his debut in Beijing 2024. The way he is playing, how he subdues his opponents, he aspires to a fourth title of the season, after Indian Wells, Roland Garros y Wimbledon.
Although there is trouble in the Chinese capital, because the painting invited it. This Tuesday, at 10 a.m. Central European Time, cross with the Russian Daniil Medvedevwhich eliminated the Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-2 and 6-4. And it would be signed on Wednesday. He has in sight the current champion of the event, the Italian Jannik Sinnerwhich has the Czech in quarters Live in Lehecka and in the semis he would face Andrey Rublev or Yunchaokete Bu.
There is still a lot of fabric to cut in this ATP 500, which will be followed without pause by the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000. Alcaraz, who is sure to regain the world number 2, dominates Medvedev 5-2 in the record, having won the three most recent confrontations, including this year the Indian Wells final (7-6, 6-1) and the Wimbledon semi-finals (6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
