Quiet comeback for Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells against Thanasi Kokkinakis
There was electricity in the air around 8:30 p.m. in Indian Wells and it wasn’t just because it was Saturday night. Carlos Alcaraz made his entry in the running in California and it is an understatement to say that he was expected. The Central was almost full to welcome the Spanish prodigy with a nice ovation. The world No. 2, seeded No. 1 in this tournament, did not disappoint anyone by quietly offering himself a Thanasi Kokkinakis who did not have the weapons to fight (6-3, 6-3).
Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protege delivered an amazing first set on his serve with… four shutouts and a single point lost on the way, on a missed passing. Faced with this steamroller in action, the Australian was picked from the start of his service, reducing his chances of competing with his younger brother. He never managed to come back, carried away by the power and precision of his adversary with a totally untied game.
The glitch in the Spaniard’s thigh, contracted during his final – lost – against Cameron Norrie in Rio and which had forced him to withdraw from Acapulco, seems only an old memory. If he missed a little more in the second act, missing on certain shots when the court was wide open causing murmurs of disappointment, he was never rushed and completed the meeting without worry. In the third round, the 2022 semi-finalist will face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
