Carlos Alcaraz was unable to defend his Buenos Aires championship, losing in the semi-finals to Nicolas Jarry in straight sets. The current world number two has yet to claim a title since his victory at Wimbledon in July of the previous year, struggling to perform at his best.
Alcaraz acknowledges his shortcomings, admitting that he has not made any improvements compared to his performance in the first half of 2023. He plans to work on necessary improvements before the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments, with his first opportunity to test his progress coming next week in Rio de Janeiro.
The Buenos Aires tournament marked Alcaraz’s return to clay-court events since the previous year. Despite a solid showing and numerous powerful winners from his forehand, the Spaniard did not showcase his best tennis. He acknowledged the inconsistency in his game and expressed the need to perform better in order to compete for titles.
Carlos began his title defense against Camilo Ugo Carabelli and emerged victorious with a 6-2, 7-5 win in an hour and 45 minutes. In the first set, Carlos dominated every return game, but struggled in the second set, only managing to win two out of 17 points behind his second serve. This performance marked his worst numbers at the ATP level.
The Argentine, on the other hand, managed to steal 46% of the return points and converted them into four breaks out of nine opportunities. Carlos responded with impressive return statistics, stealing 59% of the points and breaking his opponent seven times out of 18 chances.
The match began with four consecutive breaks before Carlos took control and won every game from 2-2, securing his fourth break and ultimately winning the set 6-2 in just 33 minutes. Ugo Carabelli managed to grab an early break in the second set, taking a 2-0 lead with a clever volley winner in the second game.
However, Carlos quickly turned the tide by converting his seventh break chance in the fourth game, leveling the score at 2-2 and erasing the deficit. He secured another break in the sixth game after his opponent’s double fault, bringing him closer to victory.
At 5-3, Carlos had the opportunity to serve for the win but failed to capitalize on a match point. Ugo Carabelli broke back, reducing the deficit and extending his chances of a comeback. The Argentine saved another match point on his serve in the tenth game, thanks to a backhand error from Carlos, and held on to make it 5-5 with a backhand down the line winner.
Carlos faced three break points in the eleventh game but managed to deny them with winners, gaining a much-needed boost. In the end, Alcaraz secured a crucial break at love in the twelfth game, sealing the deal and advancing to the quarter-finals.
In the next round, Carlos faced Italian player Andrea Vavassori and emerged victorious with a 7-6, 6-1 win in an hour and 40 minutes, securing a place in the semi-finals. Throughout the match, Alcaraz served at an impressive 80% and faced only one break point, which he successfully defended. He then broke Vavassori’s resistance in the second set with a double break.
Vavassori tried to keep the points on his racquet by attacking and employing serve and volley combinations. He even had a break point opportunity in the fourth game, but Carlos managed to erase it and hold serve with a volley winner, avoiding an early setback and leveling the score at 2-2.
In the seventh game, Vavassori saved a break point with a service winner and eventually took a 6-5 lead with two volley winners after deuce. As a result, a tie break was introduced, and Carlos quickly took control by going up 3-0 with a mini-break and two drop shot winners. He ultimately won the tie break 7-1, gaining momentum and moving closer to victory. In the second set, Carlos broke Andrea’s resistance by securing two breaks, setting up a semi-final clash against Nicolas Jarry.
Unfortunately, Carlos was unable to maintain his winning streak as Jarry defeated him 7-6, 6-3 in an hour and 55 minutes, achieving his career-best victory. Jarry managed to deny three out of four break points and capitalized on two return games out of four opportunities. The match remained highly competitive in the opening set, resulting in a tie break where Nicolas dominated and won with four mini-breaks.
Although Alcaraz broke early in the second set, he was unable to maintain his lead for long. Jarry quickly pulled the break back and secured another one, putting pressure on the world number 2 and ultimately advancing to the final. Carlos will now turn his focus to the upcoming ATP tournament in Rio de Janeiro, where he will aim to win his first title since July. Last year, he fell short in the final to Cameron Norrie and hopes for a better performance this time around.
“It’s a difficult defeat; it’s incredibly painful. I displayed excellent tennis, but I must elevate my performance and enhance my skills. Currently, I am far from reaching my optimal state.
Buenos Aires marked my return to clay after a significant hiatus, and the adjustment proved to be quite challenging. Establishing a consistent rhythm against Nicolas was an arduous task. Despite having opportunities, I failed to capitalize on them, and against a formidable opponent like him, the consequences were severe.
Regrettably, my performance has not progressed since 2023. My game relies on concentration, a positive mindset, and unwavering energy. Throughout this week, I experienced numerous fluctuations, which is a luxury one cannot afford when vying for the championship,” expressed Carlos Alcaraz.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org