Carlos Alcaraz Evaluates His Level After Winning Vienna Opener

Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the second round of the Vienna Open after outlasting Karen Khachanov in a high-quality encounter that featured supreme shot-making at crucial moments.

Praising the Vienna Crowd and the Match Quality

Speaking after the match, sports.yahoo.com reported that Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged the incredible quality of the encounter and praised the crowd in Vienna during his first tournament appearance at the venue in five years. Following a warm net embrace with Khachanov, Alcaraz recalled his departure from the tournament in 2021, noting that he left the court believing the local crowd possessed something special.

Alcaraz described the atmosphere as incredible with a packed stadium, noting that he had to run, fight, and sweat a great deal while truly enjoying the experience. He added that both players executed great shots and points, making it an enjoyable match to watch and leaving him very happy with the outcome.

Mental Resilience and Late-Set Drama

At 5-4 in the second set, Alcaraz missed opportunities on match points in a return game before Khachanov broke serve and threatened to force a deciding third set. Reflecting on his comeback, where he broke back immediately and won the tiebreak, Alcaraz stated that he was playing well overall despite playing too fast on the match points and making a few mistakes.

Alcaraz explained that he remained pleased with his overall level of play, stayed mentally strong, and tried to give himself another chance. He successfully converted his first break point at 6-5 and played a great tiebreak to close out the match.

Head-to-Head Record Against Khachanov

As highlighted by Sky Sports Tennis and reported by sports.yahoo.com, the victory extended Alcaraz’s winning streak against the Russian player to seven matches. This matchup now stands as the most one-sided rivalry in the Spaniard’s career, pulling ahead of his 6-0 records against Alex de Minaur, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Arthur Rinderknech. Despite the defeat, the 30-year-old Khachanov pushed the former world number one hard throughout the contest.