Alcaraz shuts down showman Monfils in easy Miami win

Carlos Alcaraz halted a late-match surge from Gael Monfils to advance to the fourth round of the Miami Open presented by Itau Monday night as he took another step towards completing the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’.

Alcaraz looked destined for a routine win in little over an hour until Monfils caught fire after a relatively subdued performance earlier in the match. The veteran Frenchman broke the 20-year-old as he served for the match at 5-3 and then crushed an explosive forehand winner in the following game to make the World No. 2 serve it out.

But just as quickly as the match found some intensity, Alcaraz closed it out 6-2, 6-4 at the second time of asking with a clinical love hold, capped by a confident serve/volley play on his first match point.

"He's a great athlete. He reaches almost every ball," said the No. 2 man in the PIF ATP Rankings. "But at the same time, with my forehand, my best shot, I tried to move him around the court, tried to get him tired a little bit and give myself the chance to dominate the point, trying to go to the net and hitting my best shots."

The entertaining match was watched by the likes of Neymar, Jimmy Butler and Juan Martin del Potro, with Alcaraz eager to light it up in front of the star-studded crowd.

"It's kind of difficult to stay focused on the match, having such legends from every sport," he said. "It's great for me. I try to show great tennis, try to make them happy as well, make them enjoy watching my games.

"It's a great opportunity to have them here, to talk with them a little bit. It's great to put on a show in front of them."

Neymar, Alcaraz and Butler in Miami. Photo by Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Alcaraz's will next take the stage against Lorenzo Musetti, after the Italian's 6-4, 7-6(5) victory against Ben Shelton closed Monday's ATP Tour play in Miami. The 23rd seed broke the home favourite twice on eight break chances, according to Infosys ATP Stats, playing some of his very best tennis down the stretch after falling behind 3-0 and 4-1 in set two.

"[My team was] saying patience because sometimes Ben, with the really good serves, could be really frustrating," said the Italian, who missed out on five late break points. "Some points I had an opportunity to break him in the second set, I didn't find the right ball with the forehand. Sometimes he was serving pretty well, with the slice at the body.

"Even the last point was really tough to return. I had to be really patient and try to focus on what I had to do. I think I played probably the best match of the year."

Here we go! 🔥🔥@Lorenzo1Musetti could have the advantage in the rally but will @BenShelton have too much on serve? 🤙#TennisInsights | @atptour | @MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/SiMt3iMefo

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 25, 2024

Musetti, who hit two impossible passing shots in quick succession in his final return game, will need to summon more magic to beat Alcaraz. The Italian trails 1-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head and did not take a set in either of their 2023 matches at Roland Garros and Madrid.

"It's always a nice challenge, especially for me," he sad. "I have a huge friendship with him and we've played so many battles on court. He's up in the score so hopefully I can win this time. But I'm really looking forward to playing against him.

"He's a great person, a great human being and a great athlete. For me it's an inspiration so hopefully I can give my best and try to win that match."

Did You Know?
Musetti is playing his first tournament as a father. He and girlfriend Veronica welcomed the birth of their first child, son Ludovico, on 15 March.

"It was my biggest victory. Nothing compares to the birth of Ludovico," the Italian said after beating Shelton.