Alcaraz blunts Mpetshi Perricard threat to reach Beijing R2

  • Posted: Sep 27, 2024

Faced with one of the biggest serves on the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz had little time to settle into his latest campaign at the China Open in Beijing.

However, the top seed adjusted quickly to the firepower of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Friday at the ATP 500, where he delivered a rock-solid performance for a 6-4, 6-4 first-round triumph. Alcaraz broke the Frenchman’s serve in the opening game of each set to overcome his fellow 21-year-old in 81 minutes.

“The plan was just to put as many returns in as I can,” said Alcaraz. “Honestly it wasn’t easy. He was serving 230 or 240 [km/h] almost every serve. Second set, 210 or 215. So, it wasn’t easy to play against him. He’s a really powerful player. Big serve, big shots from the baseline. So I had to be really focused. That was the plan. Try to not make too many mistakes and play aggressive from the baseline.”

Alcaraz converted both break points he earned in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Lyon champion Mpetshi Perricard. Although the Frenchman finished the match having won 83 per cent (20/24) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, his victory bid was undermined by lapses at the beginning of each set.

“In the first game of the match I returned pretty well and played good points from the baseline,” reflected Alcaraz. “In the first game of the second set, he did three double faults, so it helped me a lot to break the serve. After that I had to be really focused for the next games, and I’m really happy I did it.”

After securing victory in just his third tour-level match against a younger opponent, Alcaraz improved to 44-9 for the season. The Spaniard, whose qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals was confirmed earlier this week, will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.

Alcaraz is seeking a deep run in Beijing in order to keep up the pressure on Jannik Sinner in the battle to finish as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. Alcaraz is currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but can rise above Alexander Zverev into second by reaching the semi-finals in the Chinese capital. He trails Sinner, who is also into the second round in Beijing, by 2,990 points in the Live Race.

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