Carlos Alcaraz ‘wants to play big battles’ as he survives French Open scare
Teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz has said he relishes playing in “big battles” after he produced an epic comeback win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the second round of the French Open.
The teenager has had a meteoric rise in 2022, with the man from Murcia becoming the youngest player in Tour history to win an ATP 500 event and also becoming the youngest ever Miami Open champion.
Carlos Alcaraz also continued his great form on clay too, as the 19-year-old claimed back-to-back titles for the first time in his career in Barcelona and Madrid.
As a result of the title triumphs, Alcaraz headed into the French Open on a 10 match unbeaten run and as one of the favourites for the title in Paris.
However, the Madrid Masters champion was on the verge of his unbeaten run coming to an end on Wednesday, as the young Spaniard was forced to save a match point in the fourth set before rallying in the fifth set to secure passage to the third round.
As well as being two sets to one down and saving the match point, the sixth seed was also 0-3 in the fifth set.
Alcaraz rallied to move ahead by a break at 4-3. But Ramos-Vinolas, who was seeking his second win against a Top 10 opponent at a major, did not go down without a fight.
The 34-year-old Spaniard was able to get back on level terms before Alcaraz claimed yet another break thanks to an extraordinary defensive effort.
From there, the man from Murcia did not relinquish his lead and held his nerve to beat fellow Spaniard Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-7(7), 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4.
Reflecting on his performance, Carlos Alcaraz said he was happy with the way he was playing and that he enjoyed such a close encounter.
In a recent interview, the Spaniard told reporters, “You always have nerves in the match, but I think I wasn’t nervous today.
“Just maybe at the end of the fourth set when I was down match point, there was maybe that thought, ‘Well, you are one point from losing.’ But I tried not to think that I’m in Roland Garros. I’m trying to enjoy the moment.
“I respect him. I know him a lot. I knew that it was going to be a great match and a tough match. But I’m very happy with my level, being able to come back and of course beat him at the end.
“In the fourth and fifth sets, I smiled with my team. So I enjoy the battles.
“I want to play big battles and tough battles against the best players in the world.”
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