Alcaraz’s journey by way of the event continues as he units his sights on the second spherical, the place he’ll face off in opposition to South Africa’s Lloyd Harris.
Expressing his respect for his upcoming opponent, Alcaraz remarked, “He is an important participant, he has large pictures so I’ve to be actually centered on the match. Clearly, (it) goes to be a tricky one.”
The matchup started with anticipation and a packed viewers within the iconic American stadium, however it took an sudden flip when underdog Koepfer suffered a grim damage simply minutes into the match. With a painful twist of his left ankle alongside the baseline, Koepfer’s hopes of placing up a robust struggle have been dashed.
Taking a medical timeout for his ankle to be taped, Koepfer bravely returned to the court docket with the rating at deuce. Nonetheless, it was evident that he was not acting at full power, permitting Alcaraz to grab the chance and convert a breakpoint with a well-executed drop shot.
Regardless of Koepfer’s show of willpower in saving a break level throughout the first set, he later confided in his group that his ankle was in dire situation, prompting contemplation of whether or not he ought to proceed.
Koepfer’s battle endured as Alcaraz’s distinctive kind got here to mild, with the Wimbledon champion demonstrating his prowess by hitting over 19 winners and making minimal errors all through the match. Alcaraz secured one other break in opposition to Koepfer’s serve within the second set, leaving the German with no alternative however to concede.
As Alcaraz clinched his victory, he acknowledged the vitality and familiarity of the court docket, remarking, “Clearly I’ve to offer credit score to him… First step on the court docket, I felt nice… the identical vitality that I felt final 12 months.”
Regardless of this triumph, Alcaraz’s reign because the world primary will come to an finish after the event concludes, as Novak Djokovic‘s dominant efficiency in his opening match resulted in his ascension to the highest of the rankings.
(With inputs from Reuters)
