The Spaniard overcame Sebastian Baez 7-5, 7-5, 2-0 (after retirement).
The Spanish phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz, 4th in the world, qualified for the second round of the US Open on Tuesday by taking advantage of the abandonment of the Argentinian Sebastian Baez (37th) who had given him a lot of trouble during the two first sets. Baez threw in the towel after 2:31 of play in stifling humid heat and while Alcaraz led 7-5, 7-5, 2-0. “Nobody wanted to see such an end to the game. Neither the players nor the public deserved it., immediately commented on the 19-year-old Spaniard who will face the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (46th) or another Argentinian, Federico Coria (78th) in the next round. He acknowledged that the playing conditions had been particularly grueling, especially in the second set where it was “very difficult to stay physically and psychologically level”. He thus explains the 28 unforced errors he committed during this second round, out of the 47 in total.
Last year, Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament in New York for the first time. This year, he returns in the costume of one of the main contenders for the title. “Last year, I had lived one of the greatest moments of my life, of my career. And there, to be there as 4th in the world, it’s incredible.he admitted with a broad smile.
