PABLO SCARPELLINI
The Angels
Updated Tuesday, August 22, 2023 – 00:11
The Murcian had a match point, in a clash that touched four hours and that the Serbian took 5-7, 7-6 and 7-6, a month after losing at Wimbledon
Summary with the best moments of the matchEL MUNDO (Video) // GETTY (Photo)
The week of ups and downs in his tennis was harshly reflected in the final by Cincinnati. In a dramatic match that he won, Carlos alcaraz succumbed to a Novak Djokovic who seemed delivered halfway through the second set, suffocated by the heat, without legs, without arguments. The Murcian continued with a break in favor and match point, but was unable to finish off his rival, who won the match in three sets (5-7, 7-6 and 7-6) and almost four hours. Unexpectedly monumental.
The Serbian will arrive revitalized at the US Open that starts in a few days after signing up for the Masters 1000 number 39 of his career, more than anyone. He also has 95 titles, surpassing Ivan Lendl in that chapter and Rafa Nadal in victories, injured for months.
Alcaraz auspicious one unnecessary drama. He had his first title in Ohio in his pocket, playing well and adapting better than his rival to high temperatures. However, a string of unforced errors at 4-3 and serve in the second set opened the door for his dying opponent, who wandered the court with the feeling of seeking the end of his agony.
He still had the opportunity to rebuild himself and dream of a comeback, lifting a break in the final set and forcing a tiebreak where his body no longer gave for more, exhausted and with apparent cramps in his hands. He remains at the gates of what would have been his fifth Masters 1000, registering his first loss in a final in this kind of tournament.
“I have tried to do the best that I could,” he said at the end. “It’s been a very tight match but I’ve learned a lot from a teacher like you,” he told Djokovic with tears in his eyes. The abysmal difference in the path between the two matters little, between the one who has just begun his journey and the one who has already made history with a vengeance. is born a classic in tenniseven if it’s late.
The current number one in the world came out very serious and willing not to give up the first set as in the two previous rounds. Going back against Djokovic seemed like a much more difficult mountain to climb than against the rest. But the conditions of the track weighed on him: very hot – sensation of 37 degrees Celsius– and a ball speed far superior to those of clay and grass, the two surfaces on which until now he had fought with the current Australian champion.
Sitting on his bench, with a towel loaded with ice around his neck to combat the high temperatures, he pointed it out to his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Immediately afterwards he found himself with three breaking balls against him that cost him the sixth game. The Murcian reacted immediately to regain equality and once again take the Serb to the limit in the eleventh game, where he converted the third break point he forced (6-5). Now, the one suffocated by the heat was Djokovic, walking like a soul without sorrow from point to point and exposed to the fury of the blows of the Wimbledon champion, who finished off the task of the first set with a devastating backhand.
The Serbian took refuge in the locker room to recover from the momentary overwhelm. It didn’t seem to have any effect. He seemed physically defeated long before the final denouement. He committed two double faults in the third game that left the contest very favorable for Alcaraz, with break above and without apparent concerns to the service. The problem came when the Murcian gave him air. He made seven unforced errors in the next three games that opened the door to a comeback that no one believed minutes before.
Djokovic stood in the tiebreak with another face while Alcaraz regretted not having finished off the giant when he was asleep. He had a match point that he did not convert and his rival made him pay for it with a third set, the fifth this week. Alcaraz could not hide his anger.
The contest was balanced in the final quarter, with better sensations for the Serbian, who had five breaking balls with 3-3 that he ended up converting on the way to a new title, his third in Cincinnati. The penultimate script twist was missing, however. Alcaraz, who seemed destined to deliver the game, lifted four match balls to equalize at 5 games after a marathon sequence of points, a feat that got the public on their feet, paying attention to the drama they were witnessing.
There was no other outcome than a final tiebreak for a crazy match at that point. Alcaraz could barely hold the racket, with jerks in his right hand, barely resisting in another heart attack finish. There are another almost four hours of tennis as intense as it is unusual in many bars between the two best rackets in the world. It is very possible that they will see their faces again in NY.
2023-08-21 22:11:12
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