The seven of the US Open and there are already four at Roland Garros. Eleven consecutive victories in the Grand Slam already adorn Carlos Alcaraz's 2023. A magical year, without a doubt, for him and for Spanish tennis, which daydreams of crowning him as Rafa Nadal's heir. The Murcian continues to make merits, who is already a quarterfinalist in Paris after easily minimizing Lorenzo Musetti. “I played a very complete match, from the first to the last point. I am very happy because it was a dangerous round. With wind, I played very aggressive ”, he pointed out after his victory when asked by Fabrice Santoro.
The Italian was not presumed to be an easy rival for the prodigy from El Palmar. To begin with, in the only precedent Musetti had defeated Alcaraz in the final in Hamburg last year. In addition, the one from Carrara had not lost a single set in the entire tournament. But the past is past, and Philippe-Chatrier ended up attending an authentic tennis exhibition with that Spanish accent that they like so much.
If minutes before the Murcian jumped onto the track, Djokovic had flown against Varillas, sealing his record number 17 presence in the Roland Garros quarterfinals. He did not want to be less Alcaraz, who signed the same marker against Musetti. Both are now just one step away from seeing their faces in what could be a semifinal for the legend. But first, the Serb will have to beat Khachanov in the quarterfinals and the Murcian will do the same with a more than dangerous Tsitsipas.
At the moment, Alcaraz continues to oppose to magnify the Spanish hegemony in Paris with a tennis that endorses one slap after another to rivals. Up to 42 winners he hit against Musetti, almost all with the hammer that his right hand has become. "I feel very good. The rivals have to play very well to beat me in five sets, they have to have great mental, physical and tennis capacity. I use this to be calmer and be able to play more aggressive ”, he revealed, sure of himself.
Alcaraz seemed to start with doubts, who gave up his first serve despite opening the game with two aces. Musetti made the break good and placed a 2-0 scoreline that could open the door to doubts. But the Murcian not only slammed it shut, but also covered it with concrete, growing on the track with legs that looked like Inspector Gadget's. He came to everything and the Italian, little by little, was giving in to the morale before the hurricane that did not stop shaking him.
Youth, that divine treasure, allows Alcaraz to continue enjoying tennis like a child and it shows on the court. He is capable of sweating a point like nobody else, ending up losing it and letting out a laugh. He has a blast. Against Musetti, even after losing a couple of points, he ended up laughing, happy because he was enjoying himself. There is little a rival can do in the face of such a scenario. “I try not to think about the pressure to be favorite or to be number one while playing. I try to put all these thoughts out of my mind, my goal is to enjoy and smile all the time, to try to make people enjoy ”, he explained, of course, with a huge smile presiding over his face.
After the first set, everything went downhill for the number one in the world, who more than cruising speed seemed to be playing at Formula 1 speed against a Musetti whose beautiful one-handed backhand, in true Federer style, did not work for him. as good as usual. He was so desperate that he even received a warning from the referee for throwing a ball into the Parisian sky. It was not easy for him to digest the defeat, the beating, against Alcaraz but he had no other choice. Before a giant it is better to dodge the blows and return home with as few injuries as possible. The quarterfinals were for the Spanish
