TENNIS
Alcaraz says he is “very happy” after win over Hanfmann in Beijing opener
The Spaniard beat Hanfmann, who he called “very dangerous”, 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 37 minutes.
The presence of Carlos Alcaraz meant that the earlier reluctance of the crowd to show up to the Diamond Court of the China Open quickly dissipated. The Spaniard was the main focus for the fans who flocked in huge numbers to see the 2023 Wimbledon winner on Asian soil.
The capacity crowd of 15,000 were not left disappointed by the performance put on by Alcaraz, who wowed onlookers with a fantastic game of tennis against Yannick Hanfmann, winning 6-4, 6-3 after 1 hour and 37 minutes.
The world number two, who is still just 20-years-old, still looks ahead to that number one spot from now to the end of the season. Against Hanfmann (53rd), he grew into the game and eventually beat the 31-year-old.
When was Alcaraz’s last match?
Alcaraz had not competed since September 8, when he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the US Open: he has rested for 21 days and rejected to play in the Davis Cup in Spain.
“I had time to change things and play in better conditions in China, with a different timetable. It’s always complicated and I was happy with the training before the tournament. Winning gives me a lot of confidence”.
On two occasions the German recovered lost ground before giving in to the constant pressure of his opponent, who had 11 chances to break in the first set. His partial deafness did not prevent him from being aware of what happened on the court and he responded well to a drop shot that he returned with a one-handed backhand (which he usually does with two) on the run.
When will Alcaraz play next?
On Sunday Alcaraz will take on the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who overcame Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, in 1 hour and 56 minutes. Alcaraz has not lost any of the opening exchanges this campaign (14-0) and leads the board in terms of wins (59), as well as titles (6). His record on hard courts is 22-4 and in events of this level, he stands at 15-1.
“I’m very happy to have won this game in two sets”, Alcaraz said after the victory. “I knew Yannick was playing really well and is a very dangerous player, with great shots, hits that forced me to be really focussed and try not to let him dominate. I had to get better in every part of my game and I did, so that’s how I can be in the next round.”
This was one of the few highlights from the German, who turned on the style in the second set to finish off his opponent: “I hope so”, Alcaraz said when asked if this was a new chapter in his career, “hopefully I have many more years to write my history here, it would be amazing. I’m glad to have been able to show my tennis to China, and I hope this is the first time of many.”