Carlos Alcaraz continues to shine with his remarkable presence on the court.In a rare clash with Roberto Bautista, a fellow Spaniard, the young Murcian triumphed with a commanding score of 6-2 and 6-0. This marked only the third time in his career that Alcaraz has delivered a bagel, following his victories against Adrian Mannarino at the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open and Peter Gojowczyk at the US Open.
Alcaraz’s rapid rise in the tennis world has now propelled him into the round of 16 at Indian Wells, the season’s frist Masters 1,000 event. Despite Bautista’s strong position as the eighth seed in the 2022 Race,bolstered by his recent title in Doha,Alcaraz dominated the match from the outset.
Hailing from El Palmar, Alcaraz has climbed to eleventh in the annual rankings, amassing 680 points with 10 wins this season. His only defeat came in the third round of the Australian Open, where he narrowly lost to Matteo Berrettini in a tiebreak. Alcaraz began the match with a break in the first game and secured another in the fifth, showcasing his relentless form. Both players arrived in Indian Wells fresh from their efforts in Marbella,where they helped Spain qualify for the Davis Cup final phase.
Bautista struggled to regain momentum in the second set after a costly double fault led to a third break. Alcaraz capitalized on this, delivering precise baseline shots and left-handed winners to seal the match.
A Potential Showdown with Medvedev
Under the guidance of Juan Carlos Ferrero, alcaraz boasts a record of four wins and five losses against top-10 players. He now faces the possibility of his first encounter with a world number one. In the fourth round of the Californian tournament, Daniil Medvedev could be his opponent, provided the Russian overcomes Gael Monfils.
Medvedev must reach the quarterfinals to retain his position at the top of the ATP rankings. An early exit would see Novak Djokovic reclaim the number one spot by Monday, March 21. It’s worth noting that Medvedev is also defending fewer points this week, having lost the 250 champion points from Marseille 2021.
