Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, reacts during a match against Daniel Evans, of the United Kingdom, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Ever since Carlos Alcaraz was 12 or so — OK, not forever ago, considering he’s still just 20 — he made sure variety was a key element of his game.
Back then, he explained, there were so many options at his disposal that he might encounter a bit of trouble figuring out which to employ. And, he acknowledged, that can even be the case to this day.
Alcaraz was by no means perfect during a 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over the 26th-seeded Dan Evans in the U.S. Open’s third round on Saturday — there was that wayward set, after all — but the defending champion produced enough moments of brilliance to keep himself smiling and his many fans in New York roaring in approval.
To hear the No. 1-seeded Alcaraz explain it, “a lot of different” possibilities enter his mind in the midst of a point — “the dropshot, big forehand, go to the net, multiple things” — before he selects which stroke to try. It can make things “difficult” on occasion, he said.
“Most of the time, I find the right one,” the Spaniard said, “but sometimes I struggle to hit good shots because of that.”
His opponent in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday noticed.
“If anything, he probably plays too many shots,” Evans said. “He let me out of jail a few times playing the wrong shot, which was good for me.”
But there also were those “How did he do that?!” highlights that Alcaraz conjures up with frequency.
One in particular helped swing Saturday’s match his way for good. Evans was seemingly in control of what would become a 12-stroke point, sending Alcaraz scrambling to his left for a defensive backhand. On his follow-through, Alcaraz stumbled a bit, nearly tumbling to the blue court. But he gathered himself and quickly switched direction,…
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