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Stan Wawrinka took to social media to acknowledge Carlos Alcaraz's incredible shot against Roberto Bautista Agut at the 2023 Barcelona Open.
Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz has been exceptional at the Barcelona Open. He has secured consecutive straight-set victories over Nuno Borges and compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. The wins have taken the Spaniard's impressive season record to 20-2.
After missing the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters due to an injury, Alcaraz has made a strong comeback at Barcelona. The 19-year-old, who is defending champion at the event, has now secured an impressive 7-1 record at the ATP 500 clay court event.
During the first set of the game against Bautista Agut, the young Spaniard executed a spectacular shot that left the crowd and the commentators in awe. Alcaraz ran across the court and hit a very difficult backhand shot in full stretch to win the point.
Stan Wawrinka enjoyed the shot as well, taking to social media to share a video of the rally. The Swiss tagged Carlos Alcaraz in his post.
"I didn't expect to make that shot" - Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz defeated fellow countryman Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 7-5 to continue his title defense at the 2023 Barcelona Open. The win further solidified Alcaraz's impressive record of 9-1 against his fellow Spaniards, with his only defeat coming at the hands of tennis legend Rafael Nadal during the 2022 Indian Wells semi-finals.
During the post-match press conference, the US Open champion shared his thoughts on the match, saying that the intense winds throughout the game posed a significant challenge.
"Today was really tough. The conditions, it wasn't easy," Alcaraz said. "Of course I had to adapt my game from the wind. It was really tough. Roberto's a great player, a really solid player. I had to stay focussed all the time, be there all the time and try to take my chances."
The 19-year old also elaborated on the execution of the magical shot in the first set.
"It was lucky. Honestly I didn't expect to make that shot. I just closed my eyes, [swung] the racket. It was a lot of luck that I made that shot. Something like that is so special," he said.
Carlos Alcaraz will face another Spaniard, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, in the quarterfinals on Friday, April 21.
