Alcaraz does not suffer against Paul

The Spaniard, who seeks to be the eighth man in history and the eleventh person to complete the ‘Double Sunshine’ (Indian Wells and Miami double), dispatched the American with a very serious match in which he landed 24 winners and was almost perfect. to serve During the hour and 36 minutes that Paul lasted, Alcaraz only allowed one break opportunity to the American and saved it.

The one in El Palmar did not suffer excessively against a rival who came with the ‘mataspañoles’ band, after having won his last twelve duels against tennis players born in Spain. Since losing to Rafael Nadal in the Acapulco quarterfinals in 2022, Paul has defeated Albert Ramos, Fernando Verdasco, Bernabé Zapata, Martín Landaluce, Pablo Carreño, Nicolás Álvarez, Roberto Bautista (2), Alejandro Davidovich (2), Rafa Nadal and Alcaraz himself, in the past Masters 1,000 of Canada.

That day, Alcaraz had a set lead and 4-0 in the second, but lost against a Paul who since then has established himself among the top 20 tennis players in the world thanks to graceful tennis and an aggressive style that this time Alcaraz did not let him show.

Because Paul made the mistake of trying to lower the level of play every time Alcaraz increased the pace. The North American stopped the Murcian attacks with sliced ​​balls that Alcaraz had no problem bursting. That’s where many of the more than 20 winning shots that the Spaniard put, launched every time a ball fell short.

After four scoring games, Alcaraz won nine points in a row from 2-2 to 4-2 and made a gap on the scoreboard. Paul, who was losing the game, solved two 5-2 options and scared the Spaniard when he served to win the first set. After having a set point, Alcaraz had to save a break point. He closed the match with the second set point and shelved the scare.

The American was very out of his game, as it showed that he could only hit nine winners, and Alcaraz took advantage of it to get past him, both with millimeter drop shots, as well as with rights that knocked Paul down by force and with defenses that made the New Yorker desperate. Sweater. Not even the public, clearly devoted to his compatriot when they were badly given, served to turn the game around.

Alcaraz, in just over an hour and a half, displaced Paul, broke the American’s brilliant streak against the Spanish and reached the quarterfinals of the Masters 1,000 in Miami a year later, where he defended the title and number one. He is already only three games away from becoming the first Spaniard to win the ‘Double Sunshine’. His tally of straight wins in Miami is nine.

His next opponent will be another American, Taylor Fritz, who beat Holger Rune and who will face Murcia for the first time in his career.