Battling Alcaraz made to fight for Masters victory

Carlos Alcaraz was made to fight for victory on his debut at Paris Masters, beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 7-5 in a match that had fans on the edge of their seats for the entire three hours.

It took a while for the normally dominating Alcaraz to find his rhythm as he lost the first set in a tiebreaker to there Frenchman after 57 minutes.

Herbert went 2-0 up in the tiebreak in the second set but Alcaraz fought back, winning an astonishing 11 of the next 12 points.

Alcaraz saved to break points in the third before breaking serve in the sixth game to go 4-2 and take the match.

“He’s a phenomenon because he’s winning with maturity, which is extraordinary for his age,” Herbert said after the match.

“He has results that only the best are able to have at his age, so he’s an excellent tennis player… He impressed me indeed with his maturity for his age.”

Alcaraz will play young Italian Jannik Sinner next in what experts predict will be another classic.

Peter Rowe

Recent Posts

Davis Cup Final to mark Nadal goodbye to tennis

Rafael Nadal will bring down the curtain on his career next month as he plays his…

3 weeks ago

Wimbledon lowers the boom on human linecalling

Wimbledon on Wednesday brought an end to human linecalling at the most traditional of the…

3 weeks ago

Djokovic rolls Cobolli as Shanghai fights to restore order

Novak Djokovic returned to action after waiting tow days to play as the rain-hit Shanghai…

4 weeks ago

Innocent umpiring error screws Stan in Shanghai

Stan Wawrinka may have been inadvertently short-changed during Monday's third-round loss at the Shanghai Masters…

4 weeks ago

Sinner sweeps Fritz to win US Open

Jannik Sinner schooled Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 to win his second Grand Slam title…

2 months ago

Sabalenka wins Open title for Grand Slam hat-trick

Aryana Sabalenka completed a Grand Slam title hat-trick on Saturday as she fought from 5-3…

2 months ago