Carlos Alcaraz did not play a perfect match at the 2022 Croatia Open in Umag, but he did enough to advance to the final of the ATP 250 event, securing a new career-high in the process.
Alcaraz's rise started in Umag last year, as the Spaniard won his maiden trophy in the Croatian city. One year later, he will contest for another trophy in Umag, as he was able to beat Giulio Zeppieri in a very tricky semi-final.
This match was quite significant for Alcaraz as it ensured a new career-high ranking for him at number 4 on Monday. He can solidify his ranking even more by winning the event, which is the goal for him, as for any player.
It was a decent match from both players, and tightly contested in the opening set. Zeppieri proved himself capable of playing great tennis against a better opponent.
Alcaraz had an early 4-2 lead, but Zeppieri fought back to make it 5-4. The Italian had three set points in the opening set, but Alcaraz held to win the game and then the first set of the match, 7-5.
The second set was another close one, but midway through, the young Spaniard rolled his ankle during a slide that left him grimacing in pain. He took a medical time-out to tape it and continued playing but struggled with his movement.
Zeppieri used that to his advantage, winning the second set 6-3. The final set saw Alcaraz get comfortable again, finding a way to deal with obvious discomfort due to his ankle.
He was the first one to break in the third set, and he then added another break to lead 3-0, but allowed the Italian to battle back to make it 3-3. Still, Alcaraz was the better player and won the match 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the final of the 2022 Croatia Open.
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