The promise grows as the towers pass and their dominance asserts itself. This Sunday, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz succeeded each other on the Philippe-Chatrier court. If the adversity proposed was obviously not the same between a Juan Pablo Vanillas, 97th player in the world, and a Lorenzo Musetti, real promise of the circuit, the ease with which the Serb and the Spaniard disposed of their opponents recalled with force why the two men were huge favorites for the final victory.
The first stayed less than two hours on the court (1h57), the second barely more (2h08) and the afternoon did not wake up a Central baked by a blazing sun. The balance of power was too unbalanced and the scenario sewn with white thread to pique an admiring audience, and at times amazed, if not thrilled by the show. The burly duo even pushed the mimicry very far by inflicting exactly the same punishment (6-3, 6-2, 6-2) on their victims of the day. The public could, however, expect a hell of a tussle between Alcaraz and Musetti, Djokovic’s scorer in Monte-Carlo and in full swing since the start of the week.
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Same observation on the Alcaraz side from the top of its 42 winning moves: “I played at a super level, my shots were of high quality, I played a really complete match. ” So today, it is very difficult to imagine any other outcome than a confrontation between the two men on Friday in the semi-finals. Karen Khachanov, 11th in the world and semi-finalist of the last two Grand Slams, far more arguments than any Djokovic has faced in a week, but he hasn’t beaten him in 4 years and Djokovic has gotten rid of them with a cigar in his mouth every time he faced the Russian in Grand Slam (two wins in three straight sets).
Carlos Alcaraz
Credit: Getty Images
The march will be higher, a priori, for Alcaraz against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Porte d’Auteuil finalist in 2021 and who has only dropped one set this year. But, by itself, the demonstration of the Spaniard on Sunday makes us fear the worst for the Greek. “He destroyed Musetti after losing his first two matches against himreminded the former world n.4, Tim Henman, to our colleagues from Eurosport England. It’s very exciting for us to watch his development, but it must be very intimidating for his opponents and his players to see him win and look so complete at the age of 20.“
Yes, there is reason to be intimidated by these two men, favorites before the start of the tournament, and who have increasingly dominated the debates since. Therefore, there are two ways to welcome their domination: to be frustrated to see them walk on their opponents, like part of the public this Sunday, or to be impatient like a child at the foot of the tree of their confrontation to come Friday. So yes, it is not yet a certainty. But who can still doubt it this Sunday?
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2023-06-04 20:36:00
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