On Friday afternoon Carlos Alcaraz managed to qualify to play, today, his first Roland Garros final. With his victory in the semifinal against the current world number one, Jannik Sinner, he also managed to break the tie between both players. Despite the young age of both, the day before yesterday was their ninth confrontation, a fact that predicts, if nothing strange happens, a rivalry in the coming years that can emulate, if not surpass, those experienced in the last two decades with Big Three.
Without a doubt, since the draw was known, this was the most anticipated match for the fans. In the minds of many there was the feeling that it was, almost, an early final. The previous bets did not show a clear favorite and it was assumed, as in fact it happened, a match of great equality. The dilemma was knowing which of the two tennis players would be able to impose their game. The main characteristics of the transalpine are its consistency and, above all, the very high cruising speed that it is capable of achieving from the bottom of the track. The Spaniard, for his part, is somewhat less consistent in the long game, but has a more varied range of shots, greater aggressiveness and, above all, a devastating forehand shot that allows him to decide the point from any position on the court.
Although the result seemed uncertain, the truth is that, in my opinion, Carlos had a slight advantage. On a dirt surface the speed of the Italian’s blows loses some effectiveness, which allows our player to have a little more time to anticipate and hit his winning blow. The match had all the necessary ingredients to grab the viewer’s attention and not disappoint anyone. The two best on the circuit faced off in a truly vibrant exchange, of very high intensity, with great equality of points (147 to 145), alternations on the scoreboard and excitement until the last shot.
As usually happens in the best cases, it was small details that decided the fate of the winner, who was the one who managed to risk a little more. Carlos made more mistakes than Jannik and yet had many more winning shots to his credit than his rival (65 to 39).
This Sunday, the player from Murcia has the opportunity to lift his third Grand Slam title and win for the first time at Roland Garros. But, no matter how much he has managed to leave behind his main obstacle, no one should be fooled into thinking that this afternoon will be an easy match. A final never is, much less before it starts. In this new great event he will have to face Alexander Zverev, after he managed to get rid of Casper Ruud in the second semifinal. In his previous confrontations against him, the balance is in favor of the German with five victories to four. This year they have faced each other twice and the result has favored each one once.
Sasha He has a powerful serve and probably the best backhand on the professional circuit. It has good displacement and a wingspan that allows it to easily cover the entire track. In the same way, it makes it extremely difficult for his rivals to find free spaces to hit their winning shots. The current number four in the world has been on the professional circuit for a long time and has a certain habit of playing matches at the highest level, but he also suffers from a certain instability, probably because it is difficult for him to compete when things go wrong or when he does not have the best feelings. . That his four defeats against Alcaraz have occurred with hardly any resistance, attests that he has a less fighting character than our tennis player.
He also has, and if that were not enough, the need and the growing pressure to score a Grand Slam tournament in his locker. He knows that time passes quickly, that luck has eluded him until now and that opportunities slip away without mercy. With all the reservations that must be had in a match of such magnitude, I believe that to the great joy of the Spanish fans, Paris will crown our new champion today.
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