Carlos Alcaraz produced a burst of untouchable clay-court tennis Thursday at the Hamburg European Open to overcome a slow start in a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory against Filip Krajinovic.
While the Serbian matched the top seed blow for blow in the opening set and served for the set at 5-4, Alcaraz began to find his top level at the crucial moment. He saved four set points in that 5-4 game, then reeled off five straight points to win the tie-break from 2/4.
On that 2/4 point, Alcaraz went from defense to offense as he punished a floated Krajinovic volley to get back on serve. That escape opened the floodgates for a barrage of Alcaraz winners which sealed the set and shifted the momentum firmly onto his side.
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The Spaniard raced to a double-break advantage at 4-1 in the second set behind more heavy hitting. Despite giving one break back, Alcaraz closed out the match with ease to set up a quarter-final showdown with Karen Khachanov. The unseeded Khachanov defeated Fabio Fognini 6-3, 7-5 earlier on Thursday.
With the victory, Alcaraz improved to 22-2 on clay this season, his 22 victories joint-most alongside Casper Ruud (22-7), who was victorious in Gstaad on Thursday. Alcaraz is seeking his fourth clay title on the year; he leads the ATP Tour with three such trophies to date (Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Madrid) in addition to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title on the Miami hard courts. Alcaraz's four tour-level titles match Rafael Nadal's four for the most overall in 2022.
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While the Serbian matched the top seed blow for blow in the opening set and served for the set at 5-4, Alcaraz began to find his top level at the crucial moment. He saved four set points in that 5-4 game, then reeled off five straight points to win the tie-break from 2/4.
On that 2/4 point, Alcaraz went from defense to offense as he punished a floated Krajinovic volley to get back on serve. That escape opened the floodgates for a barrage of Alcaraz winners which sealed the set and shifted the momentum firmly onto his side.
[ATP APP]
The Spaniard raced to a double-break advantage at 4-1 in the second set behind more heavy hitting. Despite giving one break back, Alcaraz closed out the match with ease to set up a quarter-final showdown with Karen Khachanov. The unseeded Khachanov defeated Fabio Fognini 6-3, 7-5 earlier on Thursday.
With the victory, Alcaraz improved to 22-2 on clay this season, his 22 victories joint-most alongside Casper Ruud (22-7), who was victorious in Gstaad on Thursday. Alcaraz is seeking his fourth clay title on the year; he leads the ATP Tour with three such trophies to date (Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Madrid) in addition to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title on the Miami hard courts. Alcaraz's four tour-level titles match Rafael Nadal's four for the most overall in 2022.
More to follow...