Tennis: Alcaraz pleased with level as he chases Sinner in Beijing

Carlos Alcaraz got his China Open campaign off to a winning start on Friday, defeating big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in straight sets to advance to the round of 16 in Beijing.

The Spaniard is looking to make up ground on Jannik Sinner in the race for the year-end No.1 position this week, with the two on a collision course to meet in the China Open final if they hold seed.

Tennis bookmakers had the pair as equal favourites in outright betting ahead of the tournament, but after one round have given the advantage to Sinner.

The Italian pays +130 to win the title, while Alcaraz trails on +160.

However, the 21-year-old is pleased with how he played on Friday, sharing with media after his victory that the match up was not an easy one.

“I’m really happy with the level that I played today,” said Alcaraz.

“It wasn’t an easy match. Difficult to get the rhythm from the baselines.

“But I think I did what I had to do: put some returns in, put some pressure on his service game, play good points when I had the chance from the baseline.

“I think I did a really good match. Really, really happy to get through to the next round.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion suffered a time penalty in the first set against Mpetshi Perricard, something which is a rare occurrence for the usually speedy Alcaraz.

“Obviously, I was little bit mad about the time rule because I feel like I have no time,” Alcaraz shared after his victory.

“I have to run between points. I have no time to have a break, to rest or to breathe.

“I mean, if I finish the point at the net, which was the case, I have no time to go to the towel and do my routine.

“I was a little bit mad about it.”

Despite the distraction, Alcaraz was able to break his opponent twice, winning 6-4, 6-4.

He will now play Tallon Griekspoor in the round of 16, while at the other end of the draw, Sinner will face Russia’s Roman Safiullin.

Sinner leads Alcaraz by almost 3,000 points in the live ATP rankings.

However, the Italian is playing a limited schedule for the remainder of the season, contesting just three more ranking tournaments in 2024 after Beijing.

Should Alcaraz win the China Open, he will keep his slim chances of finishing the year as world No.1 alive.

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