Two dynamic 21-year-olds will conflict within the China Open’s first spherical on Friday, as Carlos Alcaraz and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vie for a spot within the final 16.
Alcaraz, the second seed, is aiming for his first main closing because the Paris 2024 Olympics, however his towering French rival, who has turned heads all through 2024, received’t make it straightforward in Beijing.
Since his surprising second-round exit on the U.S. Open towards Botic van de Zandschulp, Alcaraz has bounced again on the worldwide stage, regardless of admitting that his psychological state was lower than optimum post-Flushing Meadows.
Alcaraz showcased his expertise for Spain, main the best way to a easy qualification for the Davis Cup Finals knockout stage.
He cruised previous France’s Ugo Humbert in his comeback match and secured victory towards Tomas Machac, who retired with the match tied at a set apiece.
The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion then donned blue to characterize Team Europe on the 2024 Laver Cup, the place he dominated the U.S.’ Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton in straight units throughout singles play.
He additionally partnered with Casper Ruud to defeat Shelton and Frances Tiafoe in doubles motion.
Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev confronted a troublesome opening doubles defeat towards Fritz and Shelton however that setback was shortly overshadowed by Alcaraz’s spectacular victory over Fritz, which propelled Team Europe to the essential 13-point mark, dethroning Team World after a two-year reign within the Laver Cup.
As the 21-year-old heads to the Far East, he has secured his spot within the ATP Tour Finals alongside Jannik Sinner and Zverev. However, like lots of his friends, he has expressed considerations concerning the grueling schedule, stating, “They are going to kill us,” and admitting to experiencing a big lack of motivation earlier than some tournaments.
It stays to be seen whether or not Alcaraz can muster the psychological power for his second China Open marketing campaign, having fallen within the semifinals to eventual champion Sinner throughout his debut final yr. However, motivation ought to be considerable for his rising opponent, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Born simply two months after the previous world No. 1, Perricard has skilled a exceptional ascent on the ATP Tour in 2024, breaking into the world’s high 50 over the summer time and at the moment sitting at No. 51. Standing at a powerful 6 toes 8 inches, he is among the tallest gamers on the circuit. Perricard made his Wimbledon and U.S. Open important draw debuts this yr, reaching the fourth spherical at Wimbledon as a fortunate loser and unleashing an astonishing 51 aces towards Sebastian Korda of their first-round matchup.
Before his exceptional run on the British lawns, Perricard first tasted top-level stardom by clinching the Lyon Open in May. However, his journey on the U.S. Open ended early when he was defeated by Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight units, and he most just lately fell to Yannick Hanfmann within the Chengdu final 16.
In that match towards Hanfmann, the Frenchman unleashed a powerful 22 aces, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to safe victory.
Now, he faces an excellent better problem towards Alcaraz, as they battle for the chance to satisfy both Miomir Kecmanovic or Tallon Griekspoor within the second spherical.
As each gamers are nonetheless within the early phases of their skilled careers, Alcaraz and Perricard will face one another on the high stage for the primary time on Friday, pitting the Spaniard’s two-handed backhand towards the Frenchman’s elegant one-handed fashion.
However, Perricard has competed in simply 18 top-level matches this season, securing 10 victories. In distinction, Alcaraz boasts a powerful report of 43 wins out of 52 matches, yielding a exceptional win share of 82.7%.
Source: www.dailysabah.com