Paris Masters 1000
Abdominal pain forces him to leave in front of Rune and ends with the Spaniard’s participation in the last Masters 1,000 of the season
With a set down and after not being able to return a return from Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz decided that his body couldn’t take it anymore. A pain in the left side, near the abdominal, had tormented him during the match and, given the prospect of the remainder of the season, the Spaniard decided to leave and give up in the quarterfinals of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1,000 against Rune ( 6-3 and 6-6 ret.).
The Murcian was playing a discreet match until physical problems gave him the finishing touch at the end of the second set. Rune was one level above and the fact that he was physically injured made it pointless for him to continue in a contest that, in the best of cases, would force him to play one more set. In those painful conditions and with his first ATP Finals and first Davis Cup Finals on the horizon, there was no point in pushing.
That yes, the withdrawal of Alcaraz does not detract from Rune, very fine throughout the match and capable of taking winning shots from under the stones. The Dane, known for his controversial character, shot up to 28 winners, leaving Alcaraz with just 15.
Rune started very well with six straight points in the game and did not lose momentum at any time. He was the first and only one to break in the first set and did not concede a single break point on his serve. He had a break chance to take the lead in the second as well, but Alcaraz gradually began to find the key to lengthen the points and prevent Rune from winning the exchanges in just two or three shots.
His opportunities were in the eighth game, with two break balls that he did not take advantage of. They would be the last ones he enjoyed. When the Murcian, visibly upset, threw a ball against the ceiling, earning boos from the stands, it was clear that something was not right this Friday.
challenges ahead
When, after putting the 6-5 on the scoreboard, he requested the presence of the physio on the track, the fears were confirmed. The doctor treated him for two minutes on the bench, applied a cream and gave him a massage and Alcaraz played again. But he barely lasted a few minutes. Rune forced the ‘tie break’ and was placed 2-1 up. It was Alcaraz’s turn to serve, who put the service into play and could not even return the rest of the Dane. He went straight to the net and told the chair umpire that he was here. He congratulated Rune and went to the locker room, before the attentive and serious gaze of Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The tennis player from El Palmar leaves Paris with an advantage of 1,000 points over Rafael Nadal in the fight to be number one. This honor will be decided at the next ATP Finals to be played in Turin from November 14-21. There will be 1,500 points at stake. It could be worth it for Alcaraz to win all three group stage matches to prevent Nadal from catching him and become the second Spaniard in history to finish the course as the best. But, yes, first it will be necessary to know what the state of the abdominal is.
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