This first shock was expected since the draw of the table. It will take place. Respectively opposed to Karen Khachanov, 27th in the world, and Flavio Cobolli, 32nd, in the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev imposed their law on Monday and will meet again on Tuesday in the semi-final. The Spaniard won in two sets (7-5, 6-2) and 1h36, while the Russian was a little faster, winning his game 6-2, 6-4 in 1h28.
For “Carlitos”, everything came down to a very tight first round. Without complexes, Khachanov was able to raise his level of play to resist for more than an hour in this inaugural act. Taking risks on the opponent’s seconds and relying more on his own second serve, the Russian was able to first break Alcaraz (from 3-2 to 3-3) and shake him up until leading 5-4. But building on what he had shown in the previous round and in the Laver Cup, the Murcian prodigy then stepped on the accelerator.
Very aggressive at the start of the game, even if it meant making mistakes too often, the world number 3 was able to vary more by using his backhand slice into the opponent’s forehand. His changes of pace destabilized Khachanov who lost the last three games of the first set. From then on, Alcaraz took off and the Russian could only observe the damage. Led 2-1 in the second act, he won the last five games. His first break in this round at 2-2 validated on a school volley was a reflection of his ease and his domination at the end of the game.
Medvedev hasn’t been as impressive in form. How would it be anyway? It’s a question of style. But the Russian, recovering at the start of the tournament, is clearly gaining momentum. Not everything was as obvious as the score tends to show against Cobolli, but in his management of the important points, the world number 5 was extremely effective. His consistency from the baseline helped him make the difference early (break at 1-1) and he knew how to alternate by regularly taking the initiative, particularly along the line on both the backhand and the forehand.
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