Carlos Alcaraz needed a rally and a dry pitch to beat ranked No. 72 Catalan Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 35, on his difficult debut at the Rome Open (6-4, 6-1). It happened that Saturday afternoon, in the second round. Under a cloudy sky. After a three-hour rain delay. A far cry from the religious enthusiasm he aroused in Madrid’s Usera district and in front of half-empty stands. Unpleasant prolegomena for Alcaraz, who entered the Foro Italico circuit for the first time in his career and was named number one in the ATP.
Ramos won the throw. He decided to start subtracting. He broke serve and prevailed in the second game. His left foot persistently searched for Alcaraz’s backhand. It forced him to react quickly as the humidity was bloated. The damp earth acted as a buffer. The bullets that add value to Alcaraz tennis lost consistency and rebound. They looked more like coconut sultans than bullets. Without the ammunition his cannon needs, the world number one got into trouble. He tried to finish quickly and proved inaccurate. His balls went too far off the line or went wide and Ramos, who never excelled in agility in his movements, seemed quick at the back of the pitch.
The Spaniards were tied in four games in the first set when the organization switched balls. The hairy balls replaced the bare ones and Alcaraz’s topspins again created heavy effects. The track, which was now beginning to dry up, helped speed up the transitions. Alcaraz’ iron arm was able to develop its tremendous power and little by little his opponent seemed to be slowing down. More drowned. The only thing that had changed was the speed of the track.
Alcaraz won the first round 4-6 and when the second started he found Ramos gone. Demoralized, the veteran from Mataró lost his rhythm and taste for the precise shots that had at times pushed Alcaraz into the mental terrain of his obsessions and hobbies. Without a draw, the world number one added game after game with an ease that was more idle than amazing. The public in Rome wished for more emotion after waiting so many hours under the downpour. The game was just a technicality to put the 20-year-old Murcian from El Palmar at the top for the third time in his short career.
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