Carlos Alcaraz

[Kamileki]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCct0U7TDt8

[Damian]

3) Alcaraz Chasing Third Masters Crown: #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz was ranked outside the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings when he made his debut in Cincinnati last year. Now the 19-year-old is in the Top 5 and is seeded third in Ohio. Alcaraz holds a 12-3 record on hard courts this season, highlighted by his title run in Miami in April.

The 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion will face American wild card Mackenzie McDonald or Nikoloz Basilashvili in his opening match.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/cincinn ... ing-report

[Damian]

Alcaraz: 'I Am Trying To Use The Pressure In My Favour'

Spoiler:

Spaniard looking to bounce back from early Montreal exit
Carlos Alcaraz is ready to embrace the new-found pressure that has been placed upon him as he prepares to make his second appearance at the Western & Southern Open.

The Spaniard came through qualifying in Cincinnati last season, but will compete as the third seed this week. He has already captured four titles this year, including two ATP Masters 1000 triumphs.

“Right now, I take each match as a challenge for me to stay the same as always. I am No. 4 in the world, one of the favourites to win this tournament, so it is a bit tough to handle the pressure,” Alcaraz said in his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday.

“But I am training at my best. I am training with the objective to improve and try to produce the game I produced during the clay season and in Miami. It is a challenge for me to be the same.”

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The 19-year-old holds a 42-8 record on the season, highlighted by title runs at ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami and Madrid. However, Alcaraz arrives in Ohio off the back of his earliest exit of the season.

The World No. 4 lost in the second round in Montreal, but is looking to bounce back in Cincinnati. He is aiming to use his defeat against Tommy Paul as a valuable learning experience.

“I understood everything of what happened in Montreal. I couldn’t handle the pressure to be one of the favourites to win the tournament or be the ranking that I am right now. I come here to train and now show where I am,” Alcaraz said. “The kind of player I am means that I am trying to use the pressure in my favour. I know I am playing against the best players in the world, so I am going to try my best.”

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Alcaraz feels that his success this season, which he described as ‘crazy’, has caused players to raise their level against him. However, the 19-year-old views it as a positive.

“I take it as a compliment. I think all the players push themselves to be better on court against me,” Alcaraz said. “I think if they don’t play aggressively or at a high level, it is going to be a really tough match for them, so I am going to take that as a compliment.”

Alcaraz will face Nikoloz Basilashvili or Mackenzie McDonald in his opening match at the hard-court Masters 1000 event. The Spaniard will be aiming for a deep run in Cincinnati as he looks to strengthen his position in second in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/alcaraz ... iew-sunday

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

[Nando]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Alcaraz Bounces Back With Assured Win In Cincinnati

Spoiler:

Carlos Alcaraz fell victim to an upset bid from American Tommy Paul in his last outing, admitting post-match that he couldn't handle the "pressure" of being the second seed in Montreal.

The Spaniard did not allow the pressure to build on Tuesday in his second-round match at the Western & Southern Open as he breezed past home hope Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-2 on the Grandstand to earn his first win in his second Cincinnati appearance.

"I'm really happy with the performance today," he said. "One of the goals in this tournament is to grow with the pressure... to enjoy as I did at the beginning of the year and last year. To enjoy playing great tennis, to try to be relaxed. I think in this round I did it and I'm really happy with it."

ATP WTA LIVE | Follow the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin In Real Time

An ATP Masters 1000 champion in Miami and Madrid already in 2022, Alcaraz improved to 16-3 at that elite level this season and 43-8 on the year, including 13-3 on hard courts.

The 19-year-old quickly banished any lingering doubts from Montreal by breaking in the very first game against McDonald and he sealed the opening set with authority behind another break. Alcaraz did his damage late in set two as he stormed through its final four games to advance in one hour and five minutes.

"I think this court is fast, the ball slides a lot and it's difficult to play with that," he said of the Cincinnati conditions. "I tried to be really focussed with his shots and to be aggressive, that's all."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/alcaraz ... 22-tuesday

[Nando]

[Nando]

[Bombardiero]

[robpal]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Bombardiero]

[Bombardiero]

[Damian]

With No. 2 In His Sights, Alcaraz Charges Into Cincy QFs

Spoiler:

Spaniard to face Norrie in Friday's quarter-finals
The rapid rise of Carlos Alcaraz continues this week at the Western & Southern Open, where his 7-6(4), 6-1 victory against Marin Cilic on Thursday made him the event's youngest quarter-finalist since Andy Murray 16 years ago.

The Spaniard could move past Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev to No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by winning his third ATP Masters title of the season in Cincinnati. After reaching the quarter-finals, he remains at No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings but is less than 600 points shy of the second spot.

ATP WTA LIVE | Follow the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin In Real Time

Alcaraz showed great resilience against Cilic on centre court, rebounding strongly after missing out on two set points as he attempted to serve out the first set.

"I know that Marin is a really aggressive player. I had to be really focussed on the match," Alcaraz said after his victory. "I knew that it was going to be a tough match, that I had to be [mentally] in the match all the time. I knew that I was going to have my chances to break his big serve. So I'm really happy with the performance and the focus in the match."

The 19-year-old was controlling the rallies and did not drop a point on first serve until he stepped to the line at 5-4 in the opener. But the Croatian picked up his aggression late in the set, and after three consecutive Alcaraz double faults handed back his break advantage, a quick Cilic hold forced his opponent to serve to stay in the set.

Rising to the occasion, Alcaraz got back on the attack to win eight straight points and wrestle back control of the set and match.

"Obviously these kind of things can happen in really close moments," he said of the serving hiccup. "It's tough to come back after three double faults in a row to break my serve in that moment, but I am serving really well so I will just train a little bit more tomorrow before the quarter-finals. But I have the confidence pretty high."


In set two, Alcaraz consolidated an early love break by saving a pair of break points at 2-0. He continued to dictate play and was rewarded with an insurance break late in the set.

Alcaraz wrapped up a strong serving performance with eight aces and an 83 per cent win rate on first serve, outpacing the big-serving Cilic's four aces and 60 per cent first-serve win rate. The Croatian finished with 27 unforced errors as he was forced to press the issue to stay in the rallies against his in-form opponent.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/alcaraz ... 2-thursday