Spanish tennis player carlos alcaraz, current world number two beat Serbian Laslo Djere 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 (57) in round 16 of the Argentine Open, a late start of the season for Murcian. Alcaraz had to resort to his best tennis at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis team’s middle court, Guillermo Vilas, in front of an Argentinian audience who applauded him for the two hours and a minute the game lasted. After 107 days of his last official presentation in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 in Paris, the 19-year-old and former world number one tennis player has experienced ups and downs in the mud of the emblematic Buenos Aires court.

With six titles in its personal harvest (2021 Umag and 2022 Rio de Janeiro, Masters 1000 in Miami, Barcelona, ​​Masters 1000 in Madrid and Us Open), Alcaraz isn’t coming to Buenos Aires just to kickstart its current career. season but also conquer the Argentine competition.

In the first round, Alcaraz used all his hits and took a comfortable 6-2 win at 30 minutes. The match seemed to have ended quickly due to Djere’s muscular discomfort, but the Senta-born man recovered and won the second set by 6-4 against an unstable number two in the world. Constantly at odds with Ecuadorian head referee Jimmy Pinoargote in the third set and throughout the game, the Spanish recovered the comfort of his blows and won the final 6-2 to celebrate with a clenched fist.

Carlos Alcaraz’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be Serbian dusan lajovic (90), winner of the local community on a hot Buenos Aires day Camilo Ugo Karabelli by (127) 6-3 and 6-1 in an hour and 41 minutes of play.

Meanwhile, Argentina in the evening session Thomas Etcheverry (82) defeated the Spaniards Roberto Carballes Baena by (76) 4-6, 6-1 and 6-2 In a duel that lasted 2 hours and 33 minutes. Etcheverry to face Brits in quarter-finals Cameron Norrie (12), second favorite of the tournament, beating the local rival in a three-hour marathon Facundo Diaz Acosta by (191) 4-6, 7-5 and 7-6(6).

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The schedule for Thursday, which will complete the last 16 rounds of the tournament, will be as follows: Austrian Dominic Thiem (99) with Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas (101), local Francisco Cerúndolo (30) with Spaniard Jaume Munar ( 67), Italian Lorenzo Musetti (20), Argentine Pedro Spaniard Bernabé Zapata MIralles (74) against Cachín (68) and host Diego Schwartzman (32).

The Argentine Open was the stage that marked the return of Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, who is currently number two in the world, to the tracks after an injury in the first days of the year, and postponed the start of the 2023 season. The year-old arrived in the Argentine capital, which won five titles last year, including the US Open, accompanied by Antonio Martínez Cascales, who will coach both this Argentine Open 250 and the Rio Open, a 500 in which he will defend his title. .

The winner of the Argentine competition is accompanied by Argentina’s Guillermo Vilas with eight crowns, Spain’s Carlos Moya and David Ferrer with three crowns each. Among its most prominent champions are Czech Ivan Lendl (1981), Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten (2001), Thiem (2016 and 2018) and Norwegian Casper Ruud (2020 and 2022) and local Guillermo Coria (2000 and 2004). , Gastón Gaudio (2007), David Nalbandian (2008) and Diego Schwartzman (2021). The final edition recorded one of the most exciting moments in Argentine tennis, with the final retirement of Juan Martín Del Potro, who lost 1-6, 3-6 to compatriot Federico Delbonis in the first round.

Alcaraz: “The return is not easy and there is room for improvement”

Alcaraz argued that “there is a lot of room to improve” after the win, but “is good” in the first game of the season after a four-month hiatus. “The truth is it’s a pleasure for me to be in Argentina. I was expecting love but not much and I felt at home. “It’s admirable and having this environment has helped me a lot,” the 19-year-old from Murcia told a press conference.

“The return to competition is not easy. I go to every tournament with the goal of winning. The first game of the year after four years was a great game but far from my usual level. Beyond the blows, there were a few moments where I didn’t know how to deal with it. And that’s given to you by the competition, which helps you know how to deal with it in certain ways. The rhythm between points is given by playing a few games, and that’s what I lack”, analyzed two current numbers in the world. “I felt very good. I played at a good level, but I have a lot of room for improvement. The only way to improve is to play matches. It will gradually get better. Playing in front of legends like Gabriela Sabatini, the tennis player who played the ATP 250 for the first time in Buenos Aires, is a source of pride for me.”

“I wanted to play in this tournament. Even if it’s 500, it depends on last year’s calendar, because it’s very close to Australia. I like this experience to see if I can repeat it, but for now I feel comfortable,” he said. Friday with his Serbian friend Dusan Lajovic (90) in the quarterfinals. “Since the first practice session, I’ve felt the love of people everywhere. The last US Open champion, who was unable to take part in the Australian Open due to injury, it’s good to feel at home so many kilometers from home, it’s amazing,” concluded Alcaraz.