Carlos Alcaraz is back in the Japan Open semi-finals, having beaten Denis Shapovalov earlier today.
However, it was far from straightforward yet again for the Spaniard, who once again had to break his opponent when serving for the first set, before failing to serve it out himself.
As has been the case all week, he found his best tennis during the tiebreak, but once he had won that, it became evident that something was wrong with his opponent.
Shapovalov was visibly hurt, and an off-court medical time-out could not fix that issue. He retired with the score at just 2-1 in the second set, thus affording Carlos Alcaraz safe passage into the semi-finals of an event in which he has yet to lose.
The 23-year-old unsurprisingly had kind words for the Canadian in his post-match interview, but even before that he approached the camera to write: “Be back soon, Denis”.
Hopefully, he will.
Carlos Alcaraz claims he is still so far away from the level he wants to be
Alcaraz began with an assessment of his own performance, before sending a warm message to Shapovalov: “Yeah, I mean, I was a little bit frustrated with my serve. I couldn’t find the good way of serving, struggling almost every game of the serve, but, you know, just happy with the way that I came back after every break.
“So, I think it was a great first set, great points, great rallies. I think we’ve been hitting the ball really well from the best line.
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“And yeah, as you said, you know, it’s a shame that he has to pull out, you know, and going through to a semi-final like this, it’s not the way that I want it, but, you know, sometimes sports, it’s tough, but you’ve got to accept it.
“I just hope he’s gonna be okay. It’s not serious, and he’s gonna be able to play in Shanghai, healthy, and enjoy tennis once again.”
This remains just his third event since returning to the ATP Tour after five months out injured, having played the US Open, the Laver Cup, and now the Japan Open.
Asked to rate his level, he did not hold back: “Well, I think I’m gonna say way far. It’s far from where I want to be. But I’m doing great things on the court.
“I’m practising well. I’m trying to do everything when I’m playing matches. Because it’s so different: competition and practice. You gotta find a way. I’m happy with the way that I’m playing. Happy with how I’m feeling on court. Hopefully the tournaments and matches I have ahead are gonna be a great test for me. I’m gonna try to use it to get better and feel better on court.”
Alcaraz was forced to make a mid-match tactical change to beat Matteo Arnaldi yesterday, and again had to battle from the brink today to avoid losing the first set to Shapovalov. He keeps winning, but is also living very dangerously.
Greg Rusedski says Carlos Alcaraz will need to improve his level
Speaking live on Sky Sports’ feed, Greg Rusedski was on hand to offer his brief post-match analysis before Alcaraz took to the mic.
First, focusing on Shapovalov, the British Canadian pundit sympathised with his countryman, noting: “Yeah, his tennis is on an upward trajectory, good to see him playing well, fingers crossed it’s not too serious and he’s ready for Shanghai.”
Then, turning his attention to Alcaraz, he added: “Carlos was a little bit subpar today, but he found a way to win that opening set; then the injury occurred, you knew it was going to be one-way traffic from there.
“He’s going to have to lift his game in the semi-finals, because Munar played absolutely brilliantly in the opening quarter-finals today. So, Carlos gets a little rest, ready to go.”
After his last match, Rusedski said whether he thought Alcaraz looked back to his best. It seems like he remains uncertain despite claiming another win.
