The rain postpones the Alcaraz-Fritz for one day

The rain, that old enemy of tennis, disrupted the day this Wednesday at the Masters 1000 in Miami and the quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and the American Taylor Fritz will finally be played next morning (not before 1:00 a.m. , Movistar Sports). The organization of the North American tournament rushed everything possible with the aim of not harming the tennis players or the fans, but it was forced to suspend the night session and the Spanish, number one in the ATP, will have to try to resolve his access to the semifinals on Friday one day later than expected.

Specifically, and as long as the weather allows it, Alcaraz and Fritz will face each other starting at 8:30 p.m. local time. In the penultimate round, the Italian Jannik Sinner awaits, whose duel with the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori was suspended for two hours as a result of the downpour, although it was finally closed: 6-3, 6-1. “It would make me very happy to play against him. [Alcaraz] again, since I love these types of matches. I have already said on several occasions that he makes me a better player, ”said the Italian, benefiting from the setback.

In the event of winning, the 19-year-old from Murcia would have one less rest day than Sinner, with whom he already met last week in Indian Wells. Then, on a slightly slower surface, he beat the one from El Palmar 7-6 (4) and 6-3. “If I play against him or against Taylor it is very different, because Carlos has a slightly more varied game,” said the first semifinalist; “I have reached the quarterfinals in the big four. I have beaten him on grass [Wimbledon] and on land [Umag], but we play in the afternoon. Here the track is fast, so we’ll see; He has to play a very tough match against Taylor first.”

Tonight the two remaining matches of the men’s quarterfinals should also have been played, between Daniil Medvedev and Christopher Eubanks, and between Karen Khachanov and Francisco Cerúndolo; the first will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the center and the second not before 9:00 p.m. on the secondary track. The one that completed the poster for the women’s semifinals, starring Petra Kvitova and Ekaterina Alexandrova, was also suspended; both will jump onto the track –in principle there is no forecast of rain– around 9:15 p.m.

The winner will collide the next day with the veteran Sorana Cirstea, who surprised Aryna Sabalanka (double 6-4). At the other crossing, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula will measure their forces.

However, almost all eyes are on Alcaraz, whom Sinner (21 years old, 11th in the world) praised for his performance in recent days, with 17 wins in 18 appearances and two more titles in the showcase. “He is moving and returning very well. He won a big [el US Open]miami [también el curso pasado] and now Indian Wells. He is one of the best players right now, if not the best. He has only lost one match [en la final de Río, frente a Cameron Norrie] and he was injured. We will see. I must focus on myself, I have my own path. I can improve in many things and at the same time play at a high level”, sealed the Italian, a finalist two years ago in Miami.

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