"It was a really tough match": Carlos Alcaraz says clash with Dan Evans in Shanghai among hardest matches of career

Carlos Alcaraz discussed his tough match against Dan Evans in the third round of the Shanghai Open.

The third round of the tournament was no easy task for the world No. 2. Alcaraz faced the 30th seed Evans for the third time this year and secured his fourth consecutive victory against the British player, extending their head-to-head record to 4-0.

The final score was 7-6(1), 6-4, and Alcaraz mentioned after the match that it was one of the most challenging matches he has had outside of the Grand Slam events:

"It was a really tough match," the 2-times Grand Slam champion said.

"It was one of the toughest matches I have played outside of the Grand Slams. Every time I play Dan, it is a tricky match, and I have to play my best to beat him," claimed Alcaraz.

"Both of us played a high quality of tennis, and I am really happy to get through," he added.

Alcaraz remains unbeaten in his first appearance at the Shanghai Open and became the first player to reach 25 victories in Masters 1000 events in the 2023 season.

This extends Alcaraz's record to 63-8 this year and closes the points gap with Novak Djokovic to just 500 points in the Race. If he reaches the final, he will surpass 'Nole' and head into the next tournaments with the hope of reclaiming the world No. 1 spot and finishing the year at the top.

In the round of 16, he will face the former world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov (currently world No. 19), whom he leads in their previous encounters with a 3-0 record, all in straight sets. This will be their first meeting on hard court.

The Bulgarian defeated the 13th seed Karen Khachanov (14th) in the third round and advanced to the round of 16 for the second time in his career, having reached the quarterfinals in 2017.