Alcaraz Stunned By Inspired Tiafoe At Charlotte Invitational
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Carlos Alcaraz played his second event in three days, and this time, he lost at the Charlotte Invitational to an inspired Frances Tiafoe.
Before flying to Charlotte, Alcaraz was in New York, where he participated in The Garden Cup. He bested Ben Shelton in the Madison Square Garden, and he wanted to upset another American at the Charlotte Invitational.
Prior to the match, the two enjoyed good banter during various interviews and press conferences, as they share a very good relationship away from the tennis courts.
On the courts, both are great entertainers, and having them on the tennis court at the same time proved to be a delight for the crowd of 16,200 spectators in Charlotte.
But before the two ATP players took to the court, it was time for the women's match of the Charlotte Invitational, as Sloane Stephens took on Madison Keys in a rematch of their 2017 US Open final. Then, Stephens won 6-3, 6-0.
This time, Keys won more games in the match already after seven games were played, as she led 4-3, but had to face a break point, as her opponent threatened to break back.
Thanks to a spectacular backhand down-the-line winner, she was able to save it, but that wasn't enough to seal the opening set, as at 5-4, Stephens worked her way to three consecutive break points and broke her opponent's serve to make it 5-5.
Eventually, Keys was the better player in the remainder of the first set, winning it 7-5. She started the second set by breaking Stephens' serve, leading 1-0 early on.
Keys already led 3-2, but at deuce, Stephens pulled out an ace off her sleeve. She invited a ball girl to join the play, and since the ball girl was able to win the rally against Keys, Stephens had a break point.
Unfortunately for Stephens, that was not enough to turn the match around, as Keys continued to be the better player, ultimately winning the match 7-5, 6-3.
After that, men took to the court. Tiafoe had an electric start to the match, leading 1-0 and 40-0 early on, but the scoreboard still showed 4-4 after eight games played.
Alcaraz managed to seal that opening set, winning it 7-5, with plenty of entertaining rallies for tennis fans, including some tweeners and underarm serves.
In the second set, even some celebrities like Andy Dalton, who is a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, and former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., took to the court to challenge Alcaraz.
Tiafoe won the entertaining second set 6-1, and the match was decided in a super tie-break. Alcaraz had to decide his match against Shelton in the third set as well, but this time, he was on the losing side as Tiafoe won the match 5-7, 6-1, 11-9.
Following the match, both were in a very good mood, and Tiafoe was especially delighted by the packed arena, which usually hosts the Charlotte Hornets games.
"It's nice to get this guy out of the way. It was time he lost some match. It was unbelievable, I hope you guys enjoyed. Me and Carlos tried to put on a show. 16 thousand people came to watch me, nobody cares about Carlos [laughter]."
