Alcaraz does not want surprises: a thrashing and into the semifinals

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To no one's surprise, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Bublik this Friday in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 in Montecarlo (6-3, 6-0) to take another step in defending his title. It wasn't a brilliant day, but he didn't need it either.

It was the first time they faced each other on the court, which always generates some uncertainty on both sides. What would it be like to play against Carlos Alcaraz? What would his ball pace be like? And how would it be to face Alexander Bublik? To what extent could he improvise with that innate talent? These were the questions to be answered today in a match that, if played on a different surface, would surely have generated much more anticipation. Being on the clay of the Montecarlo Masters, I understand that the vast majority took for granted the victory of the young player from Murcia.

But well, we know perfectly well that theory doesn't always play out, not even when you start the match with an initial break to reinforce every opinion in your favor. Let's be honest, we all thought we were going to be left without a match, that it was all going to be a farce, and we might even see if this would end up resembling the Berrettini-Medvedev match. Surely Bublik also thought about it, hence his response of winning the next three games to quench that fire. And now what? Could the Kazakh set off alarms? It was the only moment of the afternoon where our hearts raced a bit.

Carlitos complained about the racket, didn't smile on that baseline, just listened to Samuel López to turn that slight stumble around. In his corner, they were confident that it was impossible for this story to end badly, a confidence that reached Carlitos to swiftly seal the set 6-3. It was nothing extraordinary, just adaptation, composure, and letting time prove him right. Now it was Sascha who pondered on his side of the court, cornered by a surface and an opponent that, when they come together, leaves no room for hope.

The second set, here and gone

The match hung by a thread that Alcaraz would cut as soon as he stepped back on the court. The 6-3 score was important, but starting with an early break meant clipping the Kazakh's wings definitively. That's when the Bublik of the past emerged, the one who does strange things, who doesn't compete properly, who shows an attitude of wanting to leave the court as soon as possible. He really tried in the first set, but with a 4-0 deficit in just fifteen minutes, he was already thinking about the shower and going back home.

When the clock didn't even mark an hour of play, the audience already knew that today the day was going from more to less, but that's what happens when you watch matches of Alcaraz and Sinner; in less than sixty minutes, everything could be settled. The Spaniard gave no chance to his opponent and advances to the semifinals of Montecarlo, where he will have to wait to find out his rival. Alex De Minaur or Valentin Vacherot, one of these will be the name we are looking for, the man who will face the defending champion of the tournament tomorrow on Saturday.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz no quiere sorpresas: paliza y a semifinales