Forceful staging by Carlos Alcaraz in the Count of Godó. The Murcian began his journey in the tournament with a crushing victory in 63 minutes against the Portuguese Nuno Borges (6-3 and 6-1), 79 in the ranking and an unprecedented rival for the Spaniard, and is already in the third round of the ATP 500 barcelonian.
The world number 2, defender of the trophy in Barcelona, was intractable, giving up only one serve when it served to close the first set. He soon showed his dominance, without giving his rival an option with a ‘break’ before Borges’ initial service. From there, and with a wide repertoire of shots from the bottom of the track, he chained five games in a row to get the victory on track. He will meet in the round of 16 on Thursday against the winner of the duel between Bernabé Zapata and Roberto Bautista, surely more demanding than his debut at Godó.
This is the third round of the year on clay for Alcaraz, who was not in the Monte Carlo Masters 1,000 after closing the American tour at the beginning of the year in March with the title in Indian Wells and the semifinals in Miami. Previously, in February, he was a finalist on the clay of Rio de Janeiro (ATP 500) after losing in the title match against the British Cameron Norrie and champion in Buenos Aires (ATP 250), defeating Norrie himself in the final. .
Playing at home is different. I’ve thought about it the time I’ve been here. In the end, I don’t take this as any 500 tournament; I notice it differently, at home, with people encouraging me, supporting me. It’s super nice, “said Alcaraz after the game, making clear his motivation in the tournament.
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