Tennis
The Murcian starts the North American tour as the second seed in the Canadian Masters 1000
Carlos Alcaraz returns to play next week in North American territory, the origin of his explosion as a tennis player. There he lured the New York public almost a year ago, when he snuck into the quarterfinals of the US Open. Last April, also in the United States, he raised his first major title, the Miami Masters 1000. This time, in the neighboring country, Alcaraz wants to make up for himself after his last two lost finals and reaffirm himself as one of the best tennis players today.
It will be the debut of the Murcian in the Canadian Masters 1000, since last year he did not play it because his ‘ranking’ did not give him access to the final table. This year he arrives as the second favourite, after the losses of Rafa Nadal and Alexander Zverev, both injured. Of course, Alcaraz has not stepped on the hard court in official competition for four months, when he swept Casper Ruud in the final of the Florida tournament. It was the day that consolidated the Alcaraz phenomenon, the biggest shock to the ATP circuit in recent years.
More pressure for Alcaraz, who will debut in the second round against Tommy Paul or Vasek Pospisil. An opportunity to gain sensations, because the Murcian usually costs him the first game after changing surfaces. In the following season he would probably cross paths with Marin Cilic, Karen Khachanov or Francisco Cerúndolo, a young man who handles himself better on hard court but who reached the semifinals in Miami, clearly his best result in a Masters 1000.
Italian rival or Tsitsipas before the final
In any case, the real battle will begin in the quarterfinals. In the draw, Alcaraz dodged the main favorites. In addition to Rublev (fifth seed), he could also face Taylor Fritz, champion in Indian Wells, the other Masters 1000 played this year on cement. However, the most feared duel will be the semifinals: Jannik Sinner, who tipped him in his last two duels, the dangerous slugger Matteo Berrettini or Stefanos Tsitsipas, whose morale has food, since he has overcome in his three confrontations. Between the two they add three of the seven defeats that the Murcian has suffered in 2022. Other favorites such as Medvedev, current champion, and Hurkacz would be the rival in the final.
It won’t be easy dealing with second seed status, but Alcaraz has reason to believe. His record is 14-2 this year on hard courts; he has only fallen to Nadal and Berrettini. In addition, neither the Spaniard nor Djokovic, the two giants of the circuit, will compete in the tournament. And he defends fewer points than other favorites in the next two Masters 1000: only a first round in Cincinnati, next tournament, which will be skipped for being one of the top seeds.
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