17-year-old made short trial with Casper Ruud – VG

Carlos Alcaraz, the 17-year-old who is not without reason called “the new Nadal”, met Ruud in the Andalucía Open in what was the Spaniard’s first quarterfinal in an ATP tournament.

The 17-year-old showed a surprisingly large repertoire, played with tempo, great movement and aggression and had put away many of the “junior mistakes” that have previously characterized his game.

And there you have the reason why Casper Ruud got into trouble from the start in Marbella when the two met for the first time.

The Norwegian was below 3-0 in the first set before he got into the match and reduced to 3-2. Ruud did not come any closer, making several technical mistakes before he was able to adjust, and the 17-year-old won 6-2 in the first set.

– Had to play well

In the second set, it was even to 3-3 before Alcaraz increased to 4-3 and 5-4 after showing class and great variety in their game. After 1 hour and 19 minutes it was over. Alcaraz won 6-4 in the second set.

– I had to play well and be aggressive, and I played my game and was focused all the time, said a buttery Spaniard after the somewhat surprising victory.

Tomorrow he can break a new barrier when he meets another Spaniard in the semifinals, Jaume Munar.

It is also Spanish in the second semifinal: Alberto Ramos-Vinolas meets Pablo Carreno Busta.

17-year-old Alcaraz, who started playing tennis as a 4-year-old at home in Murcia, is “only” number 133 on the ATP rankings, Casper Ruud is in 26th place.

This week, Ruud will participate in a masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo. Another 17-year-old is waiting in the first round: Holger Rune, ranked number 321 in the world. That tournament also goes on gravel.

PS! The organizer in Marbella is allowed to utilize 20 percent of the spectator capacity during the Andalucía Open. There was extra support for the Spaniard tonight.

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