"Midway through the third set, the result all but a formality, De Minaur pounded an aggressive forehand down the line and flitted forward to the net. Against nearly any other player in the world, the Australian would have won that point. Against Alcaraz, the world No 1, De Minaur watched on helplessly as the Spaniard chased down the ball and slid to his right, whipping a forehand down-the-line pass that did not come back. De Minaur could not hide his rueful smile."
"Over the past 10 days, The sixth seed has played some of the best tennis of his already incredibly successful career. He reached his second career Australian Open quarter-final by dismantling the former top 10 player Frances Tiafoe and the newest top 10 player Alexander Bublik in back-to back straight-sets wins. He had been clinical, rolling through his section of the draw with just one set lost in five prior matches."
"At no point in his 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 win over the Australian did Alcaraz even appear to look uncomfortable. It did take the 22-year-old some time to settle down in the first set. Although he started well, the winner of six majors was eventually punished for not serving precisely enough and as De Minaur tried to target his opponent's backhand, the Spaniard was unimpressive. He hit 10 backhand unforced errors compared to just one winner in the first set."
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1, dominating with superior variety, athleticism and shot-making. De Minaur entered the match having played some of the best tennis of his career, reaching his second Australian Open quarter-final by beating Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik in consecutive straight-set wins and dropping only one set in five prior matches. Alcaraz took time to settle in the first set and made several backhand errors, but his wide range of options allowed him to seize control. Alcaraz’s retrievals and passing shots left De Minaur helpless at crucial moments.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]