TRENDING: Alcaraz Surprisingly Wins 11 Straight Games to Win After Losing the Tough Opening Set

At the Indian Wells Open, Carlos Alcaraz finally prevailed over Matteo Arnaldi following an impressive opening set from the two players.

Since his amazing run to the Wimbledon championship last July, the reigning Indian Wells winner has not won a single match. That’s a lengthy wait for some silverware by his extraordinarily high standards.

It was not going to be an easy road to keep his Indian Wells crown. Actually, Alcaraz’s chances of defending the title would be difficult, as Andy Roddick had anticipated.

Alcaraz also recently responded to inquiries over a potential ankle injury. His presence on the Indian Wells courts delighted the Californian crowd, particularly in light of Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the tournament.

In the opening set against Arnaldi, Roddick’s prediction that Alcaraz would find it tough to retain his title came to pass. Following a thrilling opening exchange between the two, Alcaraz demonstrated his superiority.

In the opening set, Arnaldi demonstrated that he was not scared of the world No. 2. He and Alcaraz squared off, and he unleashed some vicious forehands. This was done by the Spaniard as well, so it was a very good affair.

Alcaraz did take the first break in the seventh game after saving a break point earlier in the set, but Arnaldi was unfazed. In the next game, the Italian immediately responded to even the score at 4–4.

The twelfth game was a magnificent one. With more of his signature hitting and athleticism, Alcaraz was able to save a set point and move the set into a tiebreaker, which was appropriate given the caliber of play.

Arnaldi raced into a 5-2 lead, but it seemed like he may have thrown it away when Alcaraz got it back to 5-5. However, a surprising miss at 5-5 by the Spaniard and then an amazing rally won by Arnaldi saw him take a superb opening set 7-6.

Sadly for fans of the Italian, he could not sustain that level, while Alcaraz got even better. He began to hit winners from all areas of the court. By contrast, Arnaldi’s forehand, which was such a weapon in the first set, began to leak unforced errors.

Alcaraz was utterly ruthless in the second set. He played close to a perfect set of tennis to win the set 6-0, with a third set being needed to decide the winner.