Masters Cup 2025: Alcaraz returns and wins, but the pass against Musetti will be played | Tennis | Sports

Carlos Alcaraz is panting, because this is the work day. Of sweat. Crooked. He is not without flamboyance, but this time he is more inclined to wear blue clothes and stained hands than to craft. Decorations, as necessary. They will never be missing. There is that winning trainee who surprises himself, like Roger Federer. But no, this is the Alcaraz who does not forget the tricks, but at the same time he is the one who fights in the mud and knows how to do his best to overcome a renegade opponent who turns into a morsel of raw nettle. It requires a cycle of action and resistance in precise moments, so that it advances and rises; This is how Taylor defeated Fritz (6-7 (2), 7-5 6-3, after 2 hours and 48 minutes) and aims to reach the semi-finals of the Masters Cup.

Alcaraz wins and sighs. He complies, but the pass remains in the air, because in the night shift, Lorenzo Musetti can beat Alex de Minaur (7-5, 3-6 and 7-5) and now, the four members of the group have a chance to qualify. Of course, the El Palmar player, who also beat the Australian on Sunday, is counting on himself: if he beats the Italian on Thursday (8:30 p.m., Movistar+) he will advance as first in the group. Now the defeat and subsequent calculations will expose him to exclusion. He is pursuing his master’s dream and also has another reward at hand, because if he beats the local team in the group stage result, he will retain first place. Before work and more work. Then happiness. Sometimes, it’s all about waiting for the right moment.

He said: “In the first set, I did not play or serve well.” “But everything can change at one point. With 6-5 (in the second) I got the title Break pointAnd that was the turning point. That gave me confidence. I stayed focused and mentally strong, and I was able to finish third better. I’m so glad I took this opportunity; “Everything went my way from there,” he continues. “I didn’t have a good feeling on the ball.”

This happens at full speed, without rest and stress on every shot, nerves on edge. Great power, evident at first shift thanks to Fritz’s focused nod and constant neck rotation. The American looks again and again at his seat, to see if there is any clue that can guide him a little further. Emotional buoyancy that is never lacking. The front is hard. His wife covers for him (apparently). Influencer), her mother, her contagious. Positive nod of heads. Yes, yes, yes. Basically, choral psychology: You can do it, dear Taylor. An optimistic type, the North American native (28 years old and sixth in the world) is driven by an undoubted will, and is perhaps one of those who trust it most today. If you continue like this, you will receive the reward.

Alcaraz presses from the beginning without delay: there is no room for procrastination here. It is forbidden to get caught in the rain, but not in the mediocrity either. This is the Masters Cup, the land of determined minds and precise strokes, because every stroke is worth gold and setbacks translate into tons of heft. He starts as he should, harmoniously, imposes the rhythm and tries to open a loophole from the beginning. He gets it, it sounds good, but in the war of setbacks, Fritz wins, always with a steady gear. The mechanisms, these two supports and the light suspension help the ball to slide very low and not rise. A flat shot of his own and it swells for the Murcian, who laments: No, not now. Didn’t touch. “Damn you!” He says to himself.

No, no and no

In a tiebreak, one shot goes long and one stays at the net. He snorts, rejoices, but the opponent does not turn around and heads forward, realizing that the day is about sensations (knowing how to enjoy, knowing how to suffer) and now he is the one who has caught the positive wave, convinced, upright, devastating on a court particularly grateful for that ball that always moves deep and barely lifts two hands off the ground. Not suitable for those suffering from sciatica. Alcaraz bends his back repeatedly. “Let’s keep going, let’s go, come on!” And he seeks his people from the side to which he is heading. Murcianico The professional, he responds with resistance and repulsion as Fritz pulls and pulls the cart, and the string could break at any moment: it is true, every man for himself.

The stands are packed and they are having a good time, enjoyed by the two tennis players who are rubbing and hitting the whole time, but they are also forcing themselves to think. Alcaraz backs off the American’s second serve, to see if he can scratch something there, and tries to lift a little more with his right to see if Fritz, on fire, suspects that way. It is a big mistake for those who turn this tennis into stones. It’s as long as the solo, 1.96 ca, but it’s not at all clumsy. It moves well, flexes properly in maneuvers, and throws sharply. He reads the situation even though he misses the trainee and the Spaniard shakes his finger: No, no, no. I’m still here. Number one is approaching him. “This way you’ll find things!” “Stay there!” “Battle, battle!” And he survives.

Grind your teeth, fight it like back in the day Earthlings In May, he barely made it through his third shift of duty, which lasted 14 minutes. Then he takes a breath on the chair and asks if it is time to drink the mixture, because going back and forth affects his legs and muscles, and the physical load becomes high, it is more than 75 matches in the body and there is thirst. Necessity, rather: “Drink, drink…”. It’s about being there, and not disconnecting. For trust. And of course, waiting for the moment. Fritz’s crazy performance when he attacked the net in the deciding game of the second set opened the door for him and brought him to the back of the room. Suddenly a blessing. The spring I needed. Still, work to do.

After the performance, tune in. Suffering and finding the key: “I ran and suffered more than him, so it was a relief to win. I’m very happy that I found a way to come back.”