Davis Cup Finals 2024: Carlos Alcaraz shines against Griekspoor as Spain keeps hopes alive

Carlos Alcaraz has won Grand Slam titles, reached the Olympic final, and played numerous high-stakes matches. Yet, this was possibly the most pressurised match of his young career. He needed to win to keep Spain’s Davis Cup hopes alive and delay Rafael Nadal’s definitive retirement from professional tennis as long as possible.

And he did it the way champions do: with a straight-sets victory, bouncing back in the first and stepping up in the key moments, then dominating in the second. The Spaniard defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(0), 6-3, pushing the tie to the decisive doubles match, where Spain will battle the Netherlands for a spot in the semifinals.

The match started as many Alcaraz matches do, with the Spaniard creating an early break opportunity. However, Griekspoor held his ground and saved it. From there, both players dominated their serves for four consecutive games. But in the sixth game, Alcaraz faltered, losing his serve to love. How did he respond? By breaking back immediately with a love game of his own.

Alcaraz even had the chance to serve for 5-4 but couldn’t capitalise. With a perfect service game, he went up 6-5 but didn’t score another point in that set. In the 12th game, Alcaraz held strong and clinched the tiebreak decisively with a flawless 7-0 score. Griekspoor, frustrated by repeated unforced errors, threw his racquet to the ground, drawing boos from the crowd, which only fired him up more.

Riding the momentum from the first set, Alcaraz started the second in dominant fashion. With another love game, he secured his 15th consecutive point and broke serve to take the lead. He confirmed the break with a hold and allowed Griekspoor only one game before building a 3-1 lead.

Serving brilliantly, Alcaraz pushed Griekspoor to 0-30 in the sixth game, but the Dutchman managed to hold and make it 2-4. Still, Alcaraz was flawless on his own serve and prepared to close out the match. Playing aggressively, he reserved his energy for his own service game, where he sealed the win with spectacular power and precision. Unyielding, he didn’t drop a single point in his final game, closing out the match 7-6(0), 6-3.