Alcaraz: 'I Have To Take Lessons From This Match'

Carlos Alcaraz’s first ATP Tour event as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings came to an early end on Tuesday at the Astana Open, where he lost in straight sets to David Goffin. The 19-year-old gave full credit to his Belgian opponent.

“He has played great matches, a lot of matches. He has a lot of experience as well. He played better than me, really, really aggressive,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t handle that pressure that he was pushing on me and of course it’s something that I have to learn and take lessons from this match.”

It took until Alcaraz’s 63rd match of the season to lose in straight sets. He had won at least one set in every match he had played since last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.

It was always going to be a tricky match against Goffin, a lucky loser who had earned two previous victories against World No. 1s. The former World No. 7 has the ability to counterpunch, but also to play aggressively, using his footwork to take the ball early.

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Alcaraz praised the 31-year-old’s level after falling short in one hour and 47 minutes.

“It was a tough match as you can see. He was playing really, really well,” Alcaraz said. “Coming back to competition is never easy. He played two matches here on this court. It’s not easy to get used to, it’s really, really slow. It was really tough on me, for my confidence.

“I tried to get used to this court so quickly, but I couldn’t and he was better than me in this match.”

Alcaraz is next scheduled to compete in Basel the week of 24 October.