Only 19 years old but already a slew of blockbusters on the clock. Let’s say it right away: it’s almost a miracle that Carlos Alcaraz is still alive in this tournament. Because the prodigious kid came very close to the correctional, saving a match point against his eldest and compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Neutralized tactically for almost 4:30, feverish as rarely on his backhand, the seeded number 6 finally managed to get out of it, through a mouse hole, with the strength of his arm and his iron will. It took him five sets of an insane fight, marked by some exceptional blows, to slip away in the 3rd round (6-1, 6-7, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4). Crazy.
By dint of being threatening, we really believed that the sky would end up falling on his head. It is however under a radiant sun that the two Spaniards started the fight. Quickly, we thought Ramos-Vinolas K.-O. from the first round. Drunk with blows and overwhelmed by the power of Alcaraz, the 44th in the world seemed far too limited to compete with the phenomenon (6-1 in the first set). But if the prodigy has the talent on his side, the Spanish veteran had the experience and the sense of the game on his side.
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Thanks to fluffy balls sent on the backhand of Alcaraz, he found the perfect parry to save time and regain the upper hand in the exchange. Better still, he saw his young opponent gradually decline technically, offering a number of free points, especially on the backhand (74 unforced errors in total). Then the unthinkable happened.
Carlos Alcaraz, in full questioning during his match against Ramos-Vinolas
Credit: Getty Images
Le bras qui tremble by Ramos-Vinolas
Bringing it all back with his domed bullets and outside effects, Ramos-Vinolas completely annihilated Alcaraz’s firepower. Despite two sets hanging on the score, it was the 34-year-old who had control of the match (6-1, 6-7 [7], 5-7). Unbreathable, this fourth was, even more when the wind of the ball seemed to push Alcaraz towards the exit. At 5-4 on his serve, Ramos-Vinolas offered himself a match point, causing tremors throughout Roland-Garros. But the experience may well be there, it was insufficient to remove this trembling arm, causing a direct fault on his part. His luck had passed. But the match was still unbreathable.
Because if Ramos-Vinolas hadn’t managed to finish off his prey, it didn’t seem to be particularly rebelling. Despite winning the fourth set in the tie-break, Alcaraz fell back into his ways, alternating faults and flashes without any real continuity. Often in the position to defend, he was broken from the start in the last set, to the point of being led 3-0.
Carlos Alcaraz faces Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Credit: Getty Images
Two magic moves to claim victory
But if this kid is so special, it’s because he has the giant gene, the one that prevents them from giving up. With each point won, he clenched his fist, proof that his ambition was intact. So he broke on an exceptional move, an unreal one-handed long line passing.
Carried by Simonne-Mathieu, the prodigy continued, achieving a final break on an incredible defense, which inevitably reminded his most illustrious compatriot. It was with an eruption of joy that the nascent champion celebrated this miracle. Back from hell, he can still consider aiming for paradise. Definitely, this 19-year-old kid is stunning.
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