New Delhi: Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz registered his first victory at the Rotterdam Open since his heartbreak at the Australian Open quarterfinals. Alcaraz, who looked in a superb touch right from the beginning, registered a hard-fought win against Dutch wildcard Botic van de Zandschulp at the event on Wednesday.
The Spanish sensation faced some challenges but eventually fought hard to Zandschulp 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 in an epic clash that lasted for two hours and 33 minutes, advancing to the second round. The first set proved to be a tight one with a hard fight between both the players but Alcaraz kept his composure till the end to take it 7-6.
Spaniard down and out in set 2
From showing tremendous skills in the opening set to appearing lacklustre in the second, it was a rollercoaster ride for Carlos Alcaraz in the game. While he appeared to be on the top of the match in the opening set, he somehow lost the rhythm in the next one losing in 3-6 against the Dutch opponent.
But the deciding set saw the talented Spanish player bounce back in style as he completed dominated the entire set winning it 6-1 and eventually claiming the match. In the next contest, Alcaraz will expectedly face either Andrea Vavassori or 2025 titlist Felix Auger-Aliassime. After a nail-biting finish to the game, the Spanish player acknowledged his opponent’s performance stating that he played a solid match.
Alcaraz also emphasized the importance of focus during tense moments and expressed satisfaction with his progress. Despite emerging victorious in 16 tour-level titles, Alcaraz is eyeing to put up a good show in the indoor tournaments he participates in. A superb run for Alcaraz ended at the first Grand Slam of the season when he was knocked out by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal clash.
On the other hand, Holger Rune also booked his position in the second round for a third consecutive year after he beat Lorenzo Sonego with a 7-6, 6-4 win, displaying 30 winners in a game lasting two hours and 11 minutes.
Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune both booked their spots in the second round of the Rotterdam Open with respective wins in their singles clashes. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
