Carlos Alcaraz produces epic display, one away from medal match at 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Carlos Alcaraz entered the round of 16 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games without having lost a single set in singles and that continued.

The world number 3 had defeated Lebanon's Hady Habib in the first round and Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands in the second round. Now he faced Roman Safiullin, Russian but who cannot participate under the colors of his flag. Alcaraz was the favorite and proved it by winning 6-4, 6-2.

Roman Safiullin started showing everything he knew how to do and took the first three points of the match with his serve, hitting the ball very hard as we are used to. But he also tends to make a lot of mistakes, and this opening game was not going to be an exception. Carlitos took advantage of it to come back and not only that, but he won 13 of the next 14 points to take a 3-0 lead in the first change of ends of the match.

On the return, it seems that Carlos fell apart a bit as it was predictable because he was displaying a series of supernatural strokes, and the Russian also raised the level considerably. He recovered one of the two lost breaks and sat down having cut the gap to 2-3 down. In the following games, both were solid on serve with more or less problems but without suffering major complications. In the tenth game of the set, Alcaraz closed with his serve in the second opportunity he had to take the set, leaving the score at 6-4.

The second set started like a steamroller without complications, winning the first seven points in a row, having broken his opponent's serve in the first game of the set. After a few moments of equality, Carlos pressed to distance himself on the scoreboard and become unreachable for the world number 66. After wasting four break balls in a row in two different games, Alcaraz made it 5-2 and closed the match 6-2 with his serve.

In the quarterfinals he will face Tommy Paul, who eliminated local idol Corentin Moutet in the round of 16 by 7-5 and 6-3;