Canadian Masters 2023: Alcaraz reigns in uncertainty and makes a double comeback against Hurkacz fighter | Sports

Alcaraz is not having a quiet game in his debut in Toronto. First it was against the aggressive Ben Shelton, today it was against Hubert Hurkacz (ranked 17th) who was able to execute the match perfectly. If he knew how to be patient with the American, he lived on the edge against the pole from beginning to end. Alcaraz is a roller coaster of emotions who decided to win and come back from the match twice. After losing the first set without a beat and progressing at a strong pace in the second, the Spaniard was already celebrating an uneventful third set when he allowed himself to beat the score 5-2 to make it 5-6 against Hurkacz himself, which surprised even Hurkacz himself. The Spaniard does it all: he starts badly, he fights, then he comes back and then he allows himself to come back, he rows again and gives a match that has it all. No one told Alcaraz that it would be easy to secure his first place at the US Open, but the young tennis player loves the challenges and hopes of the quarter-finals, in the early hours of Friday to Saturday, and not before 1:00 pm on Movistar+, so that he can… Reaching the quarter-finals. His executioner from last year: American Tommy Paul (14th century). classification).

The Exorcist song was played on Center Court in Toronto as tennis players warmed up as a prelude to the nightmare that would be suffered by Murcian, who came back cold and stopped, allowing Hurkacz to break his first serve. Of the match. He couldn't quite find himself and the pole wouldn't give him a break. With the rest having no choice, the Murcian had no choice but to revitalize themselves entering the match already trailing 3-0. So, the Spaniard changed the chip, began to increase the speed and his forehand, which had disappeared until then, began to respond although the Slav did not even flinch as he remained unaffected by his first serve.

If Alcaraz had found the solution the night before by setting up balls that Shilton was responsible for missing, the key with Hurkacz was to get him moving from side to side and prolonging the exchanges at the back of the pitch. But it seems that the Pole does not make any effort when he hits the ball, as if it is not his business. And here lies his virtue, because no one expects more from him than his serve, and it turns out that this is not his only shot. Federer actually confirmed it in his last match on Center Court at Wimbledon, and there is a reason why he became number nine in the world.

Alcaraz seemed to have recovered from the short and troubled start, despite the current number 17 for the national team classification He continued to do his job with his serve, getting 80% of the points on the first serve. Murcian's adaptation to the Toronto court took longer than expected, but Hurkacz was not waiting for anyone and in 33 minutes he won the first set 6-3.

He tried to resume playing in the second caraz, he wanted to be serious and he tried, but mistakes kept happening. Strangers in him because he did not complete the beating well and support himself properly and his mind did not communicate with his body. Hurkacz remained calm before the opportunities presented to him by Carlitos, and as happened in the first set, he broke the Spaniard's first serve. The match could have ended sooner than expected with that break, but even Hurkacz himself didn't think it was resolved, especially against a tennis player who only grows by leaps and bounds, and through many “Let's go!” With looks of confidence on the bench, he reacted quickly to break the Pole's serve for the first time.

Each match with Hurkacz serving was a new opportunity for Alcaraz, who wasn't finished sinking his teeth into it. “Think for a while!” , the Spaniard blamed himself for continuing at half speed between exchanges where he tempered his intensity with shouting and at the points where he calmed down when he repeatedly collided with an expressionless wall that continued to complicate the comeback against El Palmar.

The deadlock in the meeting led them to TThat is: a break In the second group. But if Alcaraz stands out at one thing, it's that when he's not showing his best version and is close to the rocks, he brings out his innate competitiveness; He's a hero, which means that when the game predicts a negative outcome, he rushes in as if he's saving the best for last. This is how he begins to connect with his strokes and is able to take the second set against the surprised Hurkacz, who without realizing it prevented him from playing the match he wanted to having to play a final set against Alcaraz, who is already at his level. Home.

From victory to tragedy

The spark was lit and the caraz seemed to stay. More assertive and confident, he controlled the situation and thrived on Hurkacz's services, achieving a break in the fourth game of the third set. From there, the Spaniard's spirit and game grew, the left balls came and the forehand flowed. While the pole, touched and without thoughts, shrank more and more until it reached a 5-2 that seemed final. Even Hurkacz himself was already in the locker room when the ghosts of the first group reappeared in Alcaraz. Rushing and tackling once again dominated Murcian, who went from getting two match points, in a match that looked like it was over, to having to serve the ball in order not to leave the Canadian tournament.

Unexpectedly everything happened again Break the tie Which was a reward for the Poles and a punishment for the Spaniards. In the face of the unpredictability that prevailed throughout the match, Alcaraz said enough was enough, imposed the logic that had not appeared in the final matches of the third set and finally beat the resilient Hurkacz 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6. (3). “I don't know what happened to me, the only thing I was trying to do was stay calm until I got my feeling back,” said the man from Murcia, who equaled his best winning streak (14). Upon arriving in Toronto, he remembered that “there is always room for improvement.” No one can doubt that the number one in the world continues to improve and grow by knowing how to resist, and by knowing how to suffer.

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