Alcaraz keeps wining streak Alive with Beijing R1 victory… Read more

Alcaraz keeps wining streak Alive with Beijing R1 victory

Facing one of the hardest serves on the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz quickly adjusted to the challenge at the China Open in Beijing. The top seed delivered a strong performance, defeating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. Alcaraz broke Perricard’s serve in the first game of each set, completing the match in 81 minutes.

“The plan was to return as many serves as I could,” Alcaraz said. “It wasn’t easy, with serves reaching 230 or 240 km/h. He’s a powerful player, so I needed to stay focused and play aggressively while minimizing mistakes.”

Alcaraz converted both break points he had against Perricard. Although the Frenchman won 83 percent of his first-serve points, his chances were hampered by early game mistakes.

“In the first game, I returned well and played strong points,” Alcaraz noted. “In the second set, he had three double faults, which helped me break. I stayed focused after that, and I’m glad I did.”

With this win, Alcaraz improved his season record to 44-9. Having already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, he will face Tallon Griekspoor in the next round. Alcaraz aims for a strong showing in Beijing to maintain pressure on Jannik Sinner in the race for the ATP Year-End No. 1 spot. Currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, he can move to second by reaching the semifinals, trailing Sinner by 2,990 points.