Carlos Alcaraz
The world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz takes on compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarterfinals of the Basel Open on Friday.
The 19-year-old produced a scintillating display in Flushing Meadows to win his first Grand Slam title. The Spaniard defeated Casper Ruud in the finals to bag the title. He played in Astana but lost in the very first match against David Goffin in straight sets.
Alcaraz played Jack Draper in the round of 32 of the Basel Open. After losing the first set, Alcaraz stormed back into the match and won the second set comprehensively. The third set was an evenly-contested affair but Alcaraz’s class finally helped him win the match 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. In the round of 16, Alcaraz gave his best performance since winning the US Open. He outplayed Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
The experienced Spaniard has managed to reach his third consecutive quarterfinals. He lost to Arthur Rinderknech in the quarterfinals of the Gijon Open and Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals of the Tennis Napoli Cup prior to the Basel Open.
The 31-year-old began his Basel Open campaign against the Argentine Sebastian Baez. Pablo Carreno Busta produced a dominant display to win the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-1. In the round of 16, world no. 15 faced Dominic Stephan Stricker. The Swiss player gave a great account of himself and forced his opponent to work her for each point. The match eventually ended 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 in favor of the veteran.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Alcaraz. He defeated Carreno Busta in the finals of the Barcelona Open in straight sets, earlier this year.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
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