The double reigning champion, Carlos Alcaraz, was not about to be breathtaking in his pursuit of a rare three peat in the Indian Wells ATP Masters on Wednesday.
The world number three in Spain has practically gathered with difficult winds that blow around the Stade court as it dismantles Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.
“I always say that I like to play with the wind, with these conditions,” said Alcaraz. “I think I adapt my game very well to these conditions.
“I think that playing with such a huge wind is believing in your physical conditions and believing that you will reach each ball,” he added. “That’s what I thought in the match.”
The gusts made the children hunt and even changed the trajectories of certain shots, letting the two players sometimes shake their heads.
But the well -placed confidence of Alcaraz helped him pass in front of a player who had won his last two meetings – including a kick in the quarter -final at the Miami Open last year.
“I think Grigor plays more aggressively with less time, so I think that is why I adapt much better in these conditions in today’s match,” said Alcaraz.
“So I really feel the ball, I think the position in each blow was really good. And that’s it.”
Alcaraz denied Dimitrov’s candidacy to join the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime as only players to beat him during three consecutive meetings.
With his 50th ATP Masters 1000 match victory, he took another step in his attempt to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three consecutive titles from Indian Wells.
He broke Dimitrov to open the match and broke him again to secure the first set.
He did not face a break point before the fifth game of the second set, but he made his way to this jam with an ace on Dimitrov’s third chance, then broke the Bulgarian for a 5-1 lead.
Alcaraz polished it in style, giving itself a match point with its sixth AS of the match and sealing the victory with a winner of a forehand.
He will play Francisco Cerundolo in Argentina for a place in the semi-finals. Cerundolo beat Australian Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3.
“I know his style,” said Alcaraz. “I have practiced several times with him and I watch a lot of matches of him.”
BB / RCW
