Carlos Alcaraz You are taking meteorology lessons while playing tennis in the 1,000 masters from Romea tournament almost unknown to him, because he had only participated once. In his second presence he is already in the semifinals after overcoming the demanding Jack Draper (6-4, 6-4)one of the players of the moment, in a match in which there were more obstacles to overcome apart from a great rival.
If Carlos discovered that the cold and night of the Italian capital make his ball less effect and on Tuesday he had to adapt to early and play in the first turn, with a first sun and then shadow; This time he had to fight the elements. “You have to adapt the fastest to the wind,” Juan Carlos Ferrero told him in the first games. The central track was well watered, the inflamed land, but that did not prevent a small swirl from time to time.
The wind is a bad enemy in a sport in which the head is decisive. You can end the patience of anyone seeing how balls are failing that other times would go inside, or that you have to try to take less risks. In the case of the air it is more evident, but the cold, the sun so that the ball boats more … are details that in the match with colleagues as an excuse to have some beers have a minimal importance, but at the highest level they make everything change.
Alcaraz and Draper began the clash with precautions and the first setback that Carlos suffered by fitting a break, also with a double foul, was the trigger for a Hurricane, but this time generated with its racket. Against the most demanding rival of the week, the Spanish was concentrated longer, which sometimes tends to confuse or trust, perhaps fruit of the talent it possesses.
Solid from the bottom, conquering the network successfully, moving like Los Angeles, leaving, the Murcia did not give a respite to Draper, which is fearsome with the changes of directions, when it puts parallel. If he is allowed to play comfortable, he destroys you, but if he is in motion it costs more, like everyone really, he can display his game.
Alcaraz added five games consecutively, which served to win the first set and start the second with a break (went from 2-4 to 6-4 and 1-0), but the advantage was ephemeral in this partial because Draper had not said his last word. In the speakers it sounded part of the soundtrack of “The good, the ugly and the bad” When the duel of gunmen, with racket instead of revolver, reached its most tense moment, because the nerves also appeared.
The Spanish began to reproach things, to complain, to look more at the bench. “A single idea,” he shouted after hitting a ball with the racket frameshowing that a thousand rest of the rest had passed through their head. Then, a left in a short ball was played that asked him to give a right and throw himself back to the network … and failed it very much. “Courage,” Ferrero told him, who knows the type of tennis player who has, surely the best when he can display his tennis, but also sometimes with blackouts. This time the darkness did not arrive at all.
In the absence of magic, The resistant version of Murcianthat necessary because not all the time can be played well, it appeared in the Italic forum. The climax was with 3-4 and serve. Carlos needed ten minutes to move forward his service game, also saving a break ball with an “ace.” Alcaraz took a step forward and another behind, a beating and an out … but resisted. He showed his teeth rage and taught his fist after overcoming that moment. The lost opportunity weighed Draper, who gave up his white service later and said goodbye to the game.
The triumph has a double importance for Alcaraz, because In addition to getting into the semifinals of Rome, in which he will face, on Friday, the winner of the Zverev – Musetti, who disputes tonight (20:30), recovers number two in the world. It is an interesting fact with a view to what comes ahead. The next appointment is Roland Garros, and there the one and two go through different roads, therefore the great duel between Carlos and Jannik Sinner, which in 2024 was in the semifinals, could only be this time in the final.
On the other hand, Jaume Munar could not with Casper Rud In the postponed duel on Tuesday by the rain. The Norwegian, champion of Mutua Madrid Open, won 6-3 and 6-4 and now challenges Sinner in quarters.