Carlos Alcaraz is slowly but surely regaining his world-beating form. The Spaniard, two weeks removed from playing his first competitive tennis in four and a half months at the US Open, says that today’s dramatic 6-3, 4-6, 13-11 victory over Taylor Fritz was another step in the right direction for the 23-year-old.
“The week and a half or two weeks that I had after the US Open was really important for me, that I took off almost a week without touching my racquet to recover the body well after such demanding matches physically in the US Open. I did a lot of physical work that I needed, to be honest.
“So right now I’m just slowly getting back to my normal rhythm, to my normal level tennis-wise and physically.”
The normal winning rhythm was in effect on Saturday, as Alcaraz saved a match point and converted his third in a gripping match tiebreak in which he squandered a 5-1 lead and missed out on a pair of match points as Fritz raised his level.
Unlike his dramatic quarterfinal against Ben Shelton at the US Open, Alcaraz was able to weather the vicissitudes and emerge with a hard-earned, confidence-building victory, both for himself and for Team Europe.
Alcaraz’s win lifted Europe into a deadlock ahead of the doubles on Saturday night.
Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev capitalized on the momentum and defeated Alexander Bublik and Brandon Nakashima, 6-4, 7-6(7), to send Team Europe home with a 7-5 lead. Far better than last year, when they trailed 9-3 after two days.
On a day that featured four match tiebreaks in four matches, Team World took the first two victories, with Learner Tien edging Flavio Cobolli and Alex de Minaur battling past Zverev, the Aussie also saving a match point in a dramatic encounter.
“Carlos kicked it off with probably the most important win of the weekend and I’m very happy that we finished off the day with a win as well,” said Zverev on court.
Alcaraz said his teammates helped him get through the difficult encounter.
“It’s great, because they remind me that it’s not a singles match,” he said. “I’m playing for my team. I’m playing for them, as well. They are always supporting, cheering me up. And seeing them sometimes in those really stressful situations helps me to stay calm and think about what I have to do.”
Alcaraz avenged last year’s loss to Fritz at Laver Cup – also on Saturday, a two-point clash won by Fritz 6-3, 6-2 to give Team World a 7-3 lead that they expanded to 9-3 by the end of the evening – and improved to 6-1 lifetime against the American. Even in defeat, it was a brilliant performance from the Southern Californian, and one that will sting.
“I wasn’t surprised about Taylor’s level,” Alcaraz said. “I think both of us played great tennis. The speed of the ball, the intensity we have been hitting the ball in every aspect I think was really, really high.
“I think this court, these balls, suits long rallies, to have more time, to get a good position and hit the ball in the right point of the racquet. I think that’s great for the fans to watch.
“In terms of level, I’m just really happy to be able to play these kinds of matches to see what my level is or to see what I have to improve.”
All matches count three points on Sunday, so Team Europe would have to win the first three matches in order to clinch before a final clash. Doubles will kick off Day 3, followed by three singles matches. Team World must set their lineup before Team World chooses their lineup.
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