ADVERTISEMENT
After a lackluster debut against Botic van de Zandschulp in Rotterdam, Carlos Alcaraz returned to play his best tennis against Andrea Vavassori in the round of 16. The 29-year-old Italian is a doubles specialist, but he had put the young Spaniard in trouble in their only match that was played on the red clay of Buenos Aires exactly a year ago.
This time the world number 3 was much more focused and his intention to avoid problems was evident from the first points. The 4-time Grand Slam champion gave his opponent no chance and prevailed in two quick sets proving that he can get to the bottom of this tournament.
During yesterday's match, the former world number 1 left fans speechless by winning a simply incredible point in which he showed all his infinite skills. This point is certainly destined to be among the best of the entire 2025 season.
ADVERTISEMENT
Alcaraz will face Pedro Martinez
In his press conference, the 21-year-old from Murcia revealed that he is working a lot on the mental aspect: "I want to keep the right concentration for a longer period of time and I am improving from this point of view. I had several ups and downs in my first match in Rotterdam, while today it was much better."
Carlitos also spoke about his progresses with the serve: "I practiced this shot a lot during the off-season and I knew it would take some time to see results. I'm trying to get more free points thanks to the serve, it's still not at the level I would like, but you have to be patient. The farther you get in a tournament, the more the serve is essential to preserve energy."
ADVERTISEMENT
Everyone thought that Alcaraz would face Holger Rune in the quarterfinals in Rotterdam, but the Danish ace suffering from a form of flu was defeated by Pedro Martinez yesterday rather quickly. There will therefore be a Spanish derby in the quarterfinals of the prestigious Dutch ATP 500.
