The Murcian is two steps away from number one in the world and his first crown in the Californian Masters 1000
Carlos Alcaraz and Flix Auger-Aliassime They promise to give tennis many moments of glory. Are two wonders of 19 and 22 years, with a rare level of mastery at this point in her career. They also have that rare virtue of reaching each ball and running for hours, which makes them a spectacle worth seeing. Thursday night on Center Court in Indian Wells was exactly that, with the feeling that this particular duel has only just begun. The fourth episode between the two fell on the side of the Spanish, who for the second consecutive year gets into the semifinals of Indian Wells, two steps away from regaining number one del ranking ATP.
After three defeats against the Canadian trained by Toni Nadal, Alcaraz finally managed to add a victory. He did it in two sets, 6-4 and 6-4, in exactly two hours. It was another demonstration of the extraordinary level that Murcian tennis is going through. The precision of his volleys and drop shots bordered on perfection, with a very high rate of shots from the bottom of the court.
It was clear from the start that it would be a display of virtuosity from both sides of the track, two huge athletes in full physical condition and with a voracious hunger for titles. Alcaraz’s visible nerves in the first two games dissipated as he began to hit winners, both with his forehand and with his two-handed revs.
Already in the third game he had forced a breaking ball in search of putting the starting distance in the first round. The Canadian resisted, the same as in the fifth game, again on his serve, in which he had to lift up to four break balls, backed by the power of his serve. It didn’t take long for the match to grit its teeth, to turn into a sensational battle.
The momentous icing on the cake was put by the Murcian on the fifth break point he had available in that game to return a backhand passing with a stratospheric cross right. The turning point was taken advantage of by Alcaraz to consolidate the break and put the first set back on track (4-2).
The number two in the world made the Canadian sweat every service, installed in the Top 10. Was a perfect set except for the final hesitation, when nerves made him give up the only breaking ball of the set that ended up closing 6-4 in one hour and two minutes. Half the way.
Auger-Aliassime felt the blow. Two double faults and two unforced errors led to the break of the Spaniard without too much effort, although the man from El Palmar did not take advantage of the moment of weakness of his rival. He broke serve for the first time and let the break ball slip on the next serve. Long party.
After the downturn, the masterful exchange of points returned and the clash returned to balance, with the Canadian full of confidence again. Wave to a long denouement, but with 4-4, Alcaraz took advantage of the loophole to get break balls and take advantage of the third to leave the game seen for sentencing.
On Saturday they will face off in the semifinals with the Italian Janic Sinner, the man he defeated in an epic quarterfinal match at last year’s US Open. Being a difficult obstacle to overcome to overcome his best result in Indian Wells after the defeat against Rafael Nadal in 2022. On the other side of the painting run Medved the Tiafoe, which guarantees that there will be an unpublished champion.
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