Carlos Alcaraz had a tricky opponent in a match for the 2024 Paris Olympics quarter-final, Roman Safiullin, but the Spaniard was able to win the match easily.
Safiullin is generally not known as an outstanding clay player, but he found a tremendous level in Paris, winning two matches in which he was the underdog. He was more than an underdog against Alcaraz, who has been even more brilliant in Paris this year, and he certainly continued that against the Russian.
Taking an early break against a player who is known for his good serve was ideal for the Spaniard, not only because he took the lead, but also because it affected his opponent's confidence.
Confidence matters greatly in tennis, and Alcaraz has more than enough. That's why he approached this match as if he were facing a player who couldn't do anything against him, and he was right
At the start of the match, it certainly looked like the four-time major winner could do no wrong, as he took a 3-0 lead. Still, Safiullin played well until this match, and he certainly didn't forget to play tennis between rounds, so he pulled back one break to make it 1-3.
The difference early in the match was hitting, as Safiullin struggled to hit the ball well at the start of the match, totaling six unforced errors in only four games of play in the opening set.
Alcaraz, for example, had six winners in the same timespan, twice as many as the Russian. Alcaraz wouldn't be shaken after losing one break, as he easily won his next service game to hold for a 4-2 lead.
From there, it remained competitive in the first set, but both players were able to keep their serves, and Alcaraz won the opening set 6-4. He used a slow start from Safiullin ideally to take a double-break lead.
Once the Russian stabilized his play and pulled one back, Alcaraz still had that one in hand, which proved very important in winning the opening set. Overall, it was a very competitive set, but Alcaraz was clearly the better player.
Starting strong in the second set was, once again, ideal for Alcaraz, and the Spaniard could do just that as he took an early break to make it 1-0. Safiullin is a very streaky player, and it showed in the second set of this match.
The problem for the Russian player was simple. As well as he can hit the ball, Alcaraz does it better, and he moves better than him on the couts, so there is just not much he could really do.
The serve was a way he could possibly trouble his opponent, but he couldn't help himself with that either, as he simply didn't serve well enough. Alcaraz stood back and returned the ball, negating any kind of pressure.
The World No. 3 player was, for the most part, comfortable on his serve and barely faced any issues in keeping his serve. He then added another break to take a 5-1 lead, and getting to the finish line from there was relatively simple, as he won the match 6-4, 6-2.