The last time Carlos Alcaraz had stepped on the Manolo Santana was to be acclaimed by the fans. Not surprisingly, he culminated in the final of the last edition of the Mutua Madrid Open, against Alexander Zverev the eight-thousander of a draw in which he previously had to overcome Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. A year later, the world number two found himself by surprise with the rope around his neck before emerging victorious in his debut match in this edition of the tournament against Emil Ruusuvuori, 41st, who ended up winning 2-6, 6-4 and 6-2, in two hours and 16 minutes.

The Finn escaped on the scoreboard thanks to the effectiveness of the first serve and the errors of his rival, who gave the impression of having difficulties to adapt to the conditions of Madrid, only four days after having revalidated in Barcelona the title of champion of the Conde de Godó. Ruusuvuori refined in the initial strokes, because also with the rest he created difficulties for Alcaraz, who delivered the first set to the fourth ball, with a backhand to the net.

Unexpected the start of the game, because the Spaniard not only tends to win almost everything he plays, but concedes very little. In fact, he had lost his last partial in the semifinals of Miami, when he fell to Jannik Sinner. In Barcelona he took the cup of carrerilla.

"We have to make the rally longer, whatever," Juan Carlos Ferrero told him from his box, knowing that the bias that took the match was contrary to the interests of his player. The problem was that the dilated points also ended up on Ruusuvuori's side. "And some left too," he impelled him in search of his essence, blurred before the scourge of the Finn, an impenetrable ice floe. After missing a passing shot in the race that cost him the fifth game of the second set, the Murcian threw the racket against the sand. There was no way to find a way around his rival. Not a single breaking ball on the horizon.

A crucial game

Compromising situations followed one another. He was 0-30 with 2-1 down in the fourth game and 15-40 in the sixth, when he sealed an unlikely bounce that kept him alive, for two points later to present a parallel backhand with which he saved another delicate trance and then improvise a serve and volley before the fifth threat of his opponent, very convinced of what he did. Alcaraz managed to get a game of more than 13 minutes.

A double fault of his rival gave him the first breaking ball, in the seventh game, where he would manage to open a gap in the scoreboard and reverse the trend of the match. With the final of the modest Pune tournament in 2022 as the longest tour on the circuit, Ruusuvuori, who had defeated the Spaniard in their only previous meeting, in the first round in Miami, two seasons ago, when Alcaraz had not yet soared in the competition, only had two victories in the previous 13 matches against top 10 players. He is, however, a good competitor if he finds the rhythm that suits him.

After taking the second set, with the strength of having escaped from a limit situation, the champion this season in Indian Wells, Barcelona and Buenos Aires took control of the match, taking an early lead in the third set and defining in the second match point. This Sunday awaits Grigor Dimitrov, 32nd, whom he beat last year in the second round of Paris-Bercy 6-1, 6-3.

  • tennis
  • Carlos Alcaraz
  • Rafa Nadal
  • Novak Djokovic

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