Carlos Alcaraz took a rather unexpected path in the walk that was promised to him. Facing Li Tu, 186th in the world and from the qualifications, the Spaniard won in 2h44 of play, but dropped a set on the way in the heart of an air pocket as unexpected as it was surprising (6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1). The Spaniard will face Botic Van De Zandschulp in the next round.
It was supposed to be a walk in the park, and it was one at first. Alcaraz could not be worried by a 28-year-old qualifier, who had only played challengers since the end of July, and initially upheld the logic by crushing the first set in less than half an hour. 11 winning points, 2 unforced errors: Li Tu and his almost amazed eyes could only see the damage, far behind his line, constantly attacked behind his second ball, and quite happy to scrape his first game at 4-0, to the point of laughing about it with the public.
A backhand on the line to finish: Lin Tu wins the 2nd set against Alcaraz
Alcaraz too easy
But the one who looked like a child in the middle of a dream radically changed face in the second set. Broken at 3-3, he reacted immediately to take the serve from Alcaraz for the first time in the match. Faced with a less incisive, less focused, sometimes too easy opponent, he even repeated the feat at 4-5, winning this second act on his fifth opportunity thanks to a full-line backhand. And this role reversal did not stop there. While Lin Tu had won four consecutive games between the end of the second set and the start of the third, the Australian stayed in the game for a long time… until being broken at 3-3.
Alcaraz had learned his lesson and put more regularity and seriousness into his production after this long period of uncertainty. The world number 3 won eight games in a row against an opponent who was struggling with cramps and whose state of grace had clearly faded. The Spaniard finished with 50 winning points, 8 aces, 80% of points won behind his first serve and 70% at the net. Or a reminder that proactivity is a better ally than ease.
The most ridiculous spoon service in history? You prefer to laugh at Alcaraz
