(Tennis news) Carlos Alcaraz defeated Facundo Bagnis 6-0 6-2 in the first round of the Miami Open in a match that lasted 65 minutes. The Spaniard has been in sensational form since recovering from injury, losing just one out of 16 matches in 2023 and will be aiming to defend his Miami Open title in order to retain his ranking despite Novak Djokovic being absent from the tournament. Alcaraz was forced to miss out on the Australian Open because of injury but he seems to have found his rhythm, proving to be unstoppable at Indian Wells and also won at Buenos Aires earlier this year.
Speaking after the match against Bagnis, Alcaraz said “I knew that I needed to be focused for my first match. To start a new tournament is never easy. I have to be ready to get used to these new conditions but I was really focused on the match from the beginning and I’m happy with the way that I played.” It was a one-sided contest between Alcaraz and Bagnis with the 33 year old Argentine failing to win a point from the Spaniard’s serve as the World Number 1 took the first set in just 24 minutes.
It was the first time that a teenager had secured a ‘bagel’ (winning a set without conceding a game) in an opening set of an ATP 1000 event. The crowd were behind the underdog Bagnis who responded well to the support by making it 2-2 in the second set but Alcaraz showed exactly why he’s the most promising tennis player in the world by winning four successive games and sealing the set 6-2. He will now face Dusan Lajovic (who defeated Andy Murray) or Maxime Cressey and could win the ‘Sunshine Double’ – winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same calendar year.
In other results, Canadian 22-year-old Bianca Andreescu overcame Emma Raducanu and went on to defeat world number 10 Maria Sakkari 5-7 6-3 6-4. Caroline Garcia was knocked out of the Miami Open to Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the second round 6-2 6-3 while World Number 5 Ons Jabeur was shocked by 22-year-old Russian qualifier Qualifier Varvara Gracheva, suffering a 6-2 6-2 defeat as she continues to recover from a knee injury.
Also read: Dusan Lajovic knocks out Andy Murray 6-4 7-5 at the Miami Open
