By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday March 8, 2024
The defending champion was down a set but claimed 12 of the final 13 games to reach the round of 32 at Indian Wells.
Photo Source: Matthew Calvis
Indian Wells –Playing his first match since retiring from his Rio title defense with an ankle injury proved a difficult challenge – and a problem solved – for Carlos Alcaraz.
The defending BNP Paribas Open champion struggled mightily in the opening set against talented Italian Matteo Arnaldi, but once he had fallen behind he hit the accelerator and raced past the World No.40 for a 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-1 victory to book a third-round clash with Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.
“I was surprised a little bit with the conditions,” Alcaraz told reporters after the two hour and 11-minute clash with Arnaldi. “It's totally different playing during the day than the night session. I was practicing every day, during the day, with the sun out and the heat, totally different bounces, the ball goes different, and it cost me [the[ entire first set.”
Alcaraz didn’t need much time to adjust, minutes after the second set started he was running away with it.
“After the first set I understood everything,” he said. “I played better, long rallies, and was hitting the ball better.”
Alcaraz improves to 2-0 lifetime against Arnaldi and 11-2 overall at Indian Wells.
An additional benefit of the victory. He shakes free of his worry about his ankle injury.
“I'm coming here with not too many matches,” Alcaraz said, after improving to 7-3 on the season. “I think last year I came here with more matches in my bag with more rhythm. Now I'm recovering from injury to the ankle. I was thinking about it all the time, and I couldn't practice as much as I wanted, the high intensity.
“Right now I'm getting better and feeling really, really well, but I think I have to get the good rhythm step by step.”
Auger-Aliassime hasn’t had the best run of late, but he does lead the head-to-head with Alcaraz, 3-1. Last year at Indian Wells, the Spaniard secured a 6-4, 6-4 win over the Canadian in the quarterfinals and went on to claim his maiden title in the California desert.
The 31st-seeded Canadian defeated France’s Constant Lestienne on Friday, 6-4, 6-1.