Carlos Alcaraz leaves French Open stunned after 'ridiculous' act
The World No.1 proved why he is the favourite to win his first title in Paris.
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz may have already produced shot of the tournament after a ridiculous moment in his near 'flawless' first round victory at Roland Garros. The Spanish 20-year-old headed into Paris as one of the strong favourites for this year's title and he showed why after 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win against Flavio Cobolli.
And Alcaraz's athleticism and finesse was on full display after two incredible moments left the tennis world utterly stunned. The first came in the third set on Court Suzanne-Lenglen when he was 3-2 down.
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Serving at 15-15, Alcaraz was forced on the backfoot to hit a backhand to stay in the rally. Cobolli then used the drop shot with the Spaniard deep in the court.
Alcaraz showed remarkable speed to get even close to the dipping ball. But in a remarkable moment, which seemed almost impossible, the Spaniard scooped the ball out and flicked the shot across court to leave his opponent grounded.
Alcaraz's shot was so impressive, Cobolli threw his hands up into the air and just smiled at the outrageous effort from his opponent. The Spaniard also looked across the net with a cheeky smile after knowing what he had just achieved.
"Another gem," Eurosport commentator Barry Cowan said in amazement. "That is absolutely ridiculous. Look how he plays it."
Fellow commentator Naomi Cavaday waxed lyrical about the moment. "That was out of this world good," she added. "That was the best shot I've seen at the tournament so far.
"It might end up being the best one when we come to the end of the event. An outrageous angle that didn't look possible. That is laughably good."
Cowan and Cavaday weren't the only one left mesmerised with the moment. The tennis world reacted with utter astonishment with the 20-year-old praised for what was an other-wordly moment.
This is actually ridiculous even for Alcaraz’s standards pic.twitter.com/Hs0LiOW5JP
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 29, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz 🤯pic.twitter.com/ZRPeIjj6a2
— Cabine Desportiva (@CabineSport) May 29, 2023
The angle is insane.
— Kev K (@nolankelleher1) May 29, 2023
Unreal. He’s incredible.
— Annie G (@TheGumFairy) May 29, 2023
Playing his first Grand Slam match since winning the Us Open 9 months ago, Carlos Alcaraz starts his #RolandGarros campaign with a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win over Flávio Cobolli.
He was almost flawless today.
Gets Taro Daniel on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/Bbwp9T6rya— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 29, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz produces around the net shot
Alcaraz also produced another moment of magic. In the first set, Alcaraz was also brought forward with a low angling drop shot.
The Spaniard showed his footwork and speed to reach the shot, before just angling the ball down the line around the net. The movement was reminiscent of another Spaniard in Rafa Nadal at the French Open.
After the match, Alcaraz was full of praise for his opponent who made life tricky for him on court.
I think I played really great. It has been a great start to Roland Garros," he said in his post-match press conference. "I thought I would be able to win easier than I did. But how quickly a match can turnaround in this game. At the start of the match, I felt invincible."
Alcaraz joked that he felt the support from the crowd, even if they are accustomed to watching Nadal make these type of plays. "I don't know if they are Rafa Nadal fans or not, but I felt the energy from the crowd. I fet the love, It was great," he added.
Alcaraz will now play Japan's Taro Daniel in the second round of the French Open. Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic was also able to win his first round match in straight sets to kick-start his charge in Paris.
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