Carlos Alcaraz beats Djokovic in Tennis Cup

• Carlos Alcaraz defeated world number one Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Tennis Cup on Wednesday
• The clash between the two top players in tennis was part of the Riyadh Season, an annual festival of arts, culture and sports in Saudi Arabia

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated world number one Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Tennis Cup on Wednesday. Djokovic seemed to be in sharper form in the early exchanges and even went ahead to win the opening set in the rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final.

However, Alcaraz put on a spirited fight and won the second set before clinching the third in brilliant fashion. The world number two’s victory at the Kingdom Arena will boost his confidence ahead of the ATP Tour which resumes a few weeks from now.

Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 6-4 in Tennis Cup in Riyadh. Photo/ LinkedIn.

The clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz was part of the Riyadh Season, an annual festival of arts, culture and sports in Saudi Arabia. After hosting a boxing event that featured the likes of Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua, there is still more to come, including the Riyadh Season Cup football tournament in early February. The tournament will feature two of football‘s greatest players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as Al Nassr and Inter Miami will be participating.

How Alcaraz Defeated Djokovic In Tennis Cup

Carlos Alcaraz made an impressive start in the much-anticipated match, breaking Novak Djokovic’s serve in the opening game and holding his serve. However, it didn’t take long before the Serbian star hit back. Djokovic controlled the set from there and had saved three break points at 4-3, which enabled him to comfortably secure victory. He closed the set 6-4 following a double-fault from his Spaniard opponent.

Carlos Alcaraz came back stronger in the second set, just as he was in the opener, breaking Djokovic’s serve en route to a 2-0 lead. Djokovic reduced the deficit to 2-1 but Alcaraz won the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. The Serbian won the fifth game but Alcaraz wasn’t losing this one and ended up claiming a 6-4 victory.

The third set started with Djokovic taking advantage of a missed lob from Alcaraz. The match heated up afterwards, with the score remaining close. Alcaraz then took the lead following a forehand error by Djokovic and increased his advantage to 3-1 as the match went on.

Djokovic saved two break points from the 20-year-old and managed to pull a game back with his dominant service. He leveled the scores at 3-3 afterwards and then went in front in one of the most tense games we have seen between the two top players in the world.

Alcaraz fought his way back and levelled the set 4-4 before breaking Djokovic in the next game. The youngster raced into a 40-0 lead before clinching the set and eventually winning the Tennis Cup. Prior to last night’s duel, Novak Djokovic had led the pair’s head-to-head record with three wins to Alcaraz’s two.

Djokovic And Alcaraz Praise Each Other

Novak Djokovic one the left and Carlos Alcaraz. Photo/ FirstSportz.

Novak Djokovic had a classy message for world number two Carlos Alcaraz after their latest duel: “It’s fantastic to have Alcaraz in our sport. He is one of the leaders of this sport today and he is going to carry our sport for the next 10 to 15 years. We are going to see a lot of him, tennis is in good hands.”

Carlos Alcaraz also spoke positively about Djokovic, saying he was learning from him. The two could meet again in the final of the Australian Open.

“It’s incredible to share the court with him in this event and in official tournaments. I am learning from him. After watching him win the big tournaments I always dreamed about being in this position and playing against him face to face. I am really happy to play with him and hopefully, I can keep going” Eurosport quotes Carlos Alcaraz.