Carlos Alcaraz entered the round of 16 of the Miami Masters 1000 with a solid 6-2, 6-4 victory over veteran Gael Monfils. The 37-year-old Frenchman was holding up well to the Murcian's power play until he slightly injured his ankle in the fifth game. Although Monfils bravely pressed on, drawing out some magnificent defensive shots from Alcaraz, the world number two was too much for the Parisian.
There was no shortage of smiles, among the occasional wince from Monfils, who enjoyed some entertaining rallies in which Alcaraz was able to show his skill in touch. When the result seemed a formality, Alcaraz eased off the accelerator and Monfils was able to break for the first time to reduce the deficit to 5-3.
Monfils then held serve with a brilliant crosscourt winner before Alcaraz closed out the match and qualified for the last 16, where he will face Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
“He's a great athlete,” Alcaraz said of Monfils. «He reads almost all the balls, so I had to be patient, but at the same time, with my forehand, my best shot, try to move him around the court, tire him out a little and give myself the opportunity to dominate the point, reach the net, hit my best shot. “That's what I tried to do in the game and it worked pretty well,” he added.
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