Alcaraz Overpowers Shelton In Blockbuster Second-Round Match In Toronto

| by Erik Virostko

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Ben Shelton in his opening match at the 2023 Canadian Open in Toronto, extending his recent winning streak.

It's been quite some time since the talented Spaniard lost a match on the ATP Tour. The last time that happened was when he struggled with cramps against Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, but since then, Alcaraz has been on a 14-match winning streak.

That winning streak included a triumph at Queen's, also following a historic run at Wimbledon, but also two matches that the Spaniard managed to win at Hopman Cup. 12 of those wins happened on the grass court, with his last two being played on the clay courts.

However, on his Toronto debut, the 20-year-old played his first match on the hard courts, since losing to Jannik Sinner in the 2023 Miami Open semifinals on March 31st, 2023. And once again, the Spaniard proved why he's the first-ranked man in the ATP Rankings.

Taking on talented American Ben Shelton was always going to be a challenging task for Alcaraz, especially after Shelton managed to get an important first-round win. Ahead of their match, the American praised his opponent, saying he's the present but also the future of tennis.

'Don't Want To Waste My Potential': Rune Targets No. 1 Ranking
'Don't Want To Waste My Potential': Rune Targets No. 1 Ranking

But on the tennis court, Shelton wanted to forget any unnecessary respect, and he almost managed to do that in the opening game of the match, when he had three chances to break the first seed.

However, after failing to do that, it was Alcaraz's turn to show his qualities. The Spaniard used one of his three break points in the fourth game, and after breaking Shelton's serve, he maintained the one-break advantage throughout the first set to win it 6-3.

The second set was much closer. This time, there were no break points, and once the set approached a tie-break, Shelton certainly felt that he had a chance to force a decider. But once again, Alcaraz was just too good.

The young Spanish prodigy won the tie-break 7-3, to win the match 6-3, 7-6(3) in an hour and 39 minutes and set up a third-round clash with the 15th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, who had to fight in three sets against Miomir Kecmanovic.

How Alcaraz Can Keep World No. 1 Ranking Away From Djokovic Before US Open
How Alcaraz Can Keep World No. 1 Ranking Away From Djokovic Before US Open

Read the full article

Just in

Look at more articles