Little by little, after a few weeks with doubts, Carlos Alcaraz once again looks like the player he overwhelmed in the first part of the season. The Murcian, who had suffered a drop in his game in recent weeks, has rediscovered his best feelings in the Beijing tournament, where he is already in the semifinals after beating the Russian Káren Kachanov in two sets (7-5 and 6-2 ).
The Murcian will seek the final, the first since the Olympic Games, against another Russian, in this case Daniil Medvedev. The last time Ferrero’s pupil faced the world number five was in the Wimbledon semi-finals, where Alcaraz won in four sets. The balance in the duels between the two is favorable to the Spaniard, with five wins in seven games.
The semifinals represent Alcaraz’s ceiling in Beijing, since last year, when he made his debut in the Chinese capital, he lost in this round to Jannik Sinner. The one from El Palmar could face the Italian in the final, who will seek the semifinals against the Czech Jiri Lehecka. The picture is completed by the confrontation between Andrey Rublev and the local player Bu Yunchaokete.
Alcaraz, seeded second, defeated Kachanov in one hour and 36 minutes on center court. The victory also allows him to overtake the German Alexander Zverev in the ATP ranking and regain number two, only behind Sinner.
The victory allows Alcaraz to regain number 2 in the ATP ranking
The first set of the clash with Khachanov was marked by equality and moments of high tension. The ninth game lasted 19 minutes, with eight advantage situations for one or the other and three break points for Alcaraz. It was not until five-all when Alcaraz, with a drop shot and a great lob, achieved the break that allowed him to later close the set.
In the second set the Spaniard showed a relentless level, achieved an early break and dominated the rest. The Muscovite could not find a way to stop the Murcian, who took advantage of his high percentage of first serves and closed the set with authority, without granting any break options.
The Spaniard, with 26 winning points and outstanding effectiveness on the net, showed solidity in all facets of the game, both with his serve and with the rest. Despite the Russian’s efforts, Alcaraz maintained control of the pace of the game and secured his place in the semifinals.
