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Top seed Carlos Alcaraz beat Taro Daniel 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-2 in the second round of the 2023 French Open on Wednesday, May 31. The Spaniard won the match, which lasted for around three hours, to remain in contention for his maiden Roland Garros title.
Alcaraz will next face Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Friday. While it will be the first-ever meeting between the two, Alcaraz will start as the favorite in that clash thanks to his superior defence and accuracy.
On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in Alcaraz's defeat of Daniel:
#1 Carlos Alcaraz’s crosscourt shots troubled Taro Daniel, who bounced back in the second set
Carlos Alcaraz troubled Taro Daniel to a great extent with his crosscourt shots off either wing right from the start. The Japanese player, in comparison, played his shots a lot straighter and failed to make the Spaniard move from side to side.
The accuracy of Alcaraz’s crosscourt shots helped him break Daniel twice in the first set and win it convincingly. However, Daniel started taking risks by playing down-the-line shots more often in the second set, which took the World No. 1 by surprise.
Daniel got the decisive break in the second set and then served it out to draw level. The 30-year-old looked good at that point and seemed to have made a match of it.
#2 Carlos Alcaraz pulled the trigger more often in the last two sets
Alcaraz was shaken by the reversal in the second set and started pulling the trigger more frequently from the third set onwards instead of going for longer rallies. The Spaniard’s down-the-line and inside-in forehands kept winning him points as he started toying with Daniel’s serve.
There was also the regular dose of drop shots from Alcaraz. Daniel tried rushing the net at times but found him on the receiving end of passing shots from Alcaraz.
Alcaraz raced to a 5-0 lead in the third set. Though Daniel then held his serve to avoid the bagel, the top seed served the set out comfortably. He then won the last five games of the fourth set to win the match and seal his spot in the third round.
