(VIDEO) Carlos Alcaraz in ridiculous behind the back shot on match point at Shanghai Masters

Carlos Alcaraz once again showcased his magic with a behind-the-back shot on match point against Gregoire Barrere at the Shanghai Masters.

The World No. 2 sailed through the second round with a comfortable victory over the Frenchman Gregoire Barrere, winning 6-2, 7-5. After a tough loss to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Beijing Open a few days prior, Alcaraz displayed confidence in his debut at the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the year.

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However, his opponent put up a resilient fight, especially in the second set, where he recovered from a break down and seemed poised to take the set to a tie-break. Alcaraz demonstrated flawless play under pressure and secured a break to go up 6-5 before finally closing out the match with his serve, earning his first match point.

The 20-year-old Spanish sensation provided an elegant and skillful display by executing a behind-the-back shot from the baseline that left the audience astonished. Following Alcaraz's clever move, his opponent approached the net, only to miss an attempted lob, ultimately sealing the victory definitively for Alcaraz.

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MY WORD CARLOS 🤯 @carlosalcaraz goes BEHIND-THE-BACK on match point to beat Barrere 6-2 7-5! 👏 #RolexShanghaiMasters

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In the third round, he awaits the winner of the match between Mikhail Kukushkin, who came through qualifying, and the 30th seed Dan Evans. Alcaraz has a great opportunity this week to earn valuable points in the battle for the World No. 1 ranking with Djokovic.

The Serbian player didn't participate in this leg of the tour, resulting in a loss of 500 points this week. Despite this, 'Nole' currently has 11,045 points, while the Spanish sensation has 8,760 points. However, towards the end of the year, Djokovic faces the challenge of defending the most points. In fact, he lost 500 points this week due to his 2022 Astana Open title.

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Additionally, Djokovic has to defend his final appearances in Paris-Bercy and the ATP Finals, which are opportunities for Alcaraz to continue narrowing the gap.

Although Djokovic currently leads the Race with 8,945 points compared to 'Carlitos' 8,400 points, if the Spaniard reaches the final, he will surpass 'Nole' in the Race, increasing his chances of finishing the year as the World No. 1 after Paris-Bercy and the Finals.

Carlos Alcaraz

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First win ✅! 😊🔝😎🚀 @SH_RolexMasters 📸 Getty

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