This is how a certain Carlos Alcaraz spends it, a tennis player who, if he didn't come from Mars, must be from Jupiter, Saturn or perhaps Pluto. Of a remote origin, that's for sure, or at least different. He is different. Taylor Fritz missed the coup de grace and in the blink of an eye, everything becomes gloomy for the American, who after wasting two match points ends up dissolving like a sugar, with a clean racket against his own knees, poor ones: 6-7(10), 7-5 and 6-3, in 2h 43m.
He is struck down by the one from El Palmar, who thus reaches the semifinals of the Paris Masters, for the first time, and throws a cape at Rafa Jódar in the process. For the Spaniard, who fell in the round of 16, all the stars have aligned: De Miñaur lost, Djokovic also fell, Tommy Paul cannot resist on this Friday afternoon (6-3, 4-6 and 6-3 for Ben Shelton) and Fritz, the fourth man who could deprive him of the place in Turin, also gives in. Spanish tennis, then, will have two representatives in the Masters Cup and this Saturday with the trump card of Alcaraz. The Murcian will face off (not before 5:00 p.m., Movistar+) with Casper Ruud or Nuno Borges—unfinished at the time of this edition—and Shelton will face Luka van Assche (2:30 p.m.).
Everything happens more or less as they left it on September 26 at the O2 in London. That is to say, the give and take between two players who have that ability to know how to come back, to earn an extra life when things get ugly and the other seems to have it there, is intense. Alcaraz seemed to have it in this case, for whom that first break was not enough - a break for 3-2, with a beautiful forehand pass in the race - nor was it enough with the subsequent good performance, when it served to close the set and received a perhaps unexpected reply; blank break, more wood. Even so, he handles the tiebreaker relatively well, but in the exchange of blows he loses finesse and ends up giving it up.
He had three set balls, exactly the same ones that the North American needed to win it. Fritz, a competitor with a lanky appearance but with multiple resources, will never win a tennis aesthetic contest, but he has multiple virtues that make him one of the most corrosive rivals on the circuit, regardless of the ranking. Despite his height, he moves correctly, understands the game and easily detects the vein to exploit. This time, at a given moment he understands that erosion is preferable to angles, so he opts to send balls to the center again and again, more and more, causing the Murcian to lose a point of vigor and, consequently, aim.
Added to the sum is one of the highest quality services, which is why Alcaraz, increasingly worn out, begins to suffer from the transfer and is giving ground. He is uncomfortable, he can't find a moment's respite. Unlike the first set, in which the feeling that he would end up taking him was predominant, the second happens in reverse: him from behind, making the rubber and trying not to break it.
The American (29 years old and 12th) pushes harder and harder and despite not having been able to take advantage of a 0-40 in the third game, he obtains the prize in the seventh, when Alcaraz is penalized again for inaccuracy. The track is fast (close to 50 points) and flat trajectories hurt it. However, he does not give up. And why would I do it?
A delicious backhand wrist shot—raising the ball early and depositing it with silk away from Fritz's string—ignites the La Défense crowd, which will come to a boil shortly after, when, after having saved a match point, they observe a simply extraordinary maneuver. Practically out of plane, Alcaraz catches the ball sliding, as if it were in the Chatrier sand, and cuts in the opposite direction. The Spaniard raises his fist and the Californian laughs (instead of crying), who does not quite understand how the hell he could have gotten there (first), nor how he was able to then devise such an extremely delicate blow (second).
The same stands that one day gave him such a bad time - 2021, first time, against Hugo Gaston - today cheer him on: "Car-los! Car-los! Car-los!" Paris and its nights, pure poetry. So he continues to reactivate himself and give Fritz more and more trouble. Now, with no other option to have won the game gone and having also suffered a breakage, he swears in Aramaic and tries not to despair. It must be painful, to some extent cruel. It inevitably gets hot. The Spaniard, ardent, awaits him at each rest with the scythe and calls several times to the public, who are eager to go and hope to see more tennis. That's what it will be like. Another break. What I said: the magic of the night.
How good, how delicious, how beautiful..., says the song. And Alcaraz continues to swing at that catchy rhythm, growing and knowing that the one in front has not yet managed to overcome the emotional blow. Normal. Fritz is still wondering about that point, why he didn't choose the other side in the blow, so the hammering is taking its toll on him. C'est fini. Tennis is like that: either you turn the page, or there is no remedy. Caught in misfortune, for the American there will be no turning back - he quickly finds himself 4-1 down - and Paris ends up applauding the boy who has made everyone stand up, the same one he swallowed one day. Not like this this time. Impossible not to surrender to such Martian talent.
SINNER AND CAHILL, END OF THE STORY
BC
Jannik Sinner confirmed this Friday an early goodbye, that of Darren Cahill. The 61-year-old Australian joined the Italian tennis player's bench in June 2022 and since then has worked in tandem with Simone Vagnozzi, who will continue with the player and will have another complement in 2027.
The news, announced last week by The Times newspaper, will be the arrival of the Swede Magnus Norman. The Nordic (50 years old) had until now directed the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, now retired. He will join the coaching staff starting in December.
“Darren has been an incredibly important part of my career,” says Sinner in a statement, in which he also remembers that, with the Australian, he has won five Grand Slams and has reached number one, which he lost precisely this week in favor of Alexander Zverev.
“But what has the most meaning for me is the relationship we have built,” emphasizes the one from San Candido, who appreciates the “honesty” and “dedication” of the coach, who in his day trained stars such as Lleyton Hewitt (1998-2001), Andre Agassi (2002-2006) or Simona Halep (2015-2021).
Cahill, for his part, said: "Working with Jannik has been an honor and a privilege. Jannik is an extraordinary young man and a humble champion of whom we are very proud. Trust, honesty and faith only work when they are reciprocal, and that has been Jannik's strength."
