Carlos Alcaraz had to play some of his best tennis to beat Yibing Wu and advance into the next round at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
The 21-year-old Spanish player had anything but an easy draw at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai. First, he had to play against talented Juncheng Shang, who he managed to beat in two straightforward sets.
The match came after a short turnaround from Beijing, where the young Spanish player won the trophy. Then, in the third round, he drew another home player, Yibing Wu, who, like Shang, was heavily backed by the home crowd, and for a good reason.
In his first two matches in Shanghai, Wu was brutally dominant. He's a player known for his tremendous talent but inability to stay healthy. He first bested Sumit Nagal 6-3, 6-3, before destroying Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 6-1.
When asked about his opponent prior to the match, Alcaraz was fully aware of who he was standing up against. He knew Wu's incredible qualities, especially after a dominant win such as the one against Jarry.
"I know that he was in the top 100. He has won one ATP title, if I'm not wrong. I know he plays really good tennis. I watched some of the matches when he was in the top 100. I don't know what happened to him, if he got injured, I don't know, but he just beat Jarry 6-2, 6-1, really easily for him. So, beating a guy like Jarry in the way that he did is impressive, so I have to be really focused on that match."
"I'm going to watch or re-watch the match he played here in Shanghai against Jarry, just to see how it is his level, and approach the match tomorrow in the best way possible."
It became apparent why Alcaraz had to be very careful already in the first minutes of their match. Wu brought some of his best tennis, matching the reigning World No. 2, and even creating troubles for the Spaniard at times.
In the first eight games of the match, both players held their serve without any difficulties, so the scoreboard showed 4-4. The third seed was the first one that got himself to break points, as he had two in the ninth game.
However, Alcaraz couldn't use his chances, so the set had to be decided in a tie-break. Wu was in the lead twice. First, he led 2-0 and 3-1, but he lost the mini-break. Then, the Chinese player led 4-3, but also immediately lost the mini-break advantage.
The four-time Grand Slam champion then ended the first set on a streak of three consecutive points won, going from 4-5 to 7-5 to seal the opening set, which was, by all metrics, an epic.
In the second set, Alcaraz has been on fire, especially on his serve. He hit seven aces, to increase his total for the match to 11, something rarely seen from him, as he's one of the shorter players in the Top 10, and also not known for his serving qualities.
Therefore, joined with his incredible baseline play, the serve carried him to a relatively simple win, despite having to bring his best. The Spaniard won the match in two sets, 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Up next, he will play against a French player, but he doesn't know which yet. The 16th-seeded Ugo Humbert will play against compatriot Gael Monfils for a spot in the fourth round against Alcaraz.