Carlos Alcaraz admits he ‘must learn’ from Astana upset
Carlos Alcaraz has reflected on his opening round loss at the Astana Open as he looks ahead to the end of the ATP season.
The world number one was the top seed at the ATP 500 event in Kazakhstan but lost to former world number seven David Goffin in his first match. He lost in straight sets 7-5, 6-3, a result he has not faced all year after playing 62 matches in a row winning at least one set.
“It was a tough game, David played wonderfully,” Alcaraz said according to Marca after the defeat. “Coming back to the competition is never easy. [Goffin] has already played two games on this court, which is not the easiest to get used to. It is very slow and it has been complicated.
“He played very aggressively and I couldn’t handle the pressure he put on me. It’s something I have to learn from, I have to take note of the lessons from this match.”
For Goffin it was a third ever career win over a world number one. Moreover, he was only in the draw as a lucky loser after going out of the second round of qualifying to world number 152 Luca Nardi on Sunday.
Alcaraz was not the only one to suffer an upset on the ATP tour. At the other ATP 500 event in Tokyo, top seed Casper Ruud went out to Spaniard Jaume Munar.
Alcaraz will next take to the court in Basel at the ATP 500 Swiss Indoors in the first edition of the event since 2019. With 10-time champion Roger Federer now retired, the young Spaniard will bring some much welcomed star power to the tournament.
An incredible run comes to an end! ?@carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/bTwwPp5juJ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 4, 2022
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