The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, top favorite for the title, advanced this Tuesday to the round of 16 of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 after winning in straight sets over the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor by 7-6 (7-4) and 6-3.
Alcaraz, second in the ATP world rankings and defending champion in Indian Wells, took an hour and 40 minutes to eliminate Griekspoor (36) and achieved his 100th victory as a professional at the age of 19.
The Murcian will play his next match against left handed British Jack Draper (56)who eliminated his compatriot Andy Murray (55) after beating him 7-6 (8-6) and 6-2 in two hours of play.
“I am really proud to get my 100th victory on the ATP circuit and I hope there are many more. Honestly, I looked for that statistic because I didn’t know it, I thought it would be in the next round,” admitted Alcaraz, champion last month of the Argentina Open, in statements made by the DPA news agency.
Electric slide ⚡️@carlosalcaraz gets win #100 and earns the @BMWUSA shot of the day#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/8zdIaEkl9O
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 14, 2023
Alcaraz, with 100 wins and 32 losses in his career, is the second fastest tennis player to reach the centenary, only surpassed by the American John McEnroe, who achieved that mark with a less played match (100-31) and ahead of the American Andre Agassi (100-35), his compatriot Rafa Nadal (100-37) and the Swede Mats Wilander and the American Jimmy Connors (both 100-38).
In the event that Alcaraz retains the title in Indian Wells, he will recover the number one in the world held by the Serbian Novak Djokovic, who did not play the tournament due to the ban in force in the United States to enter the country without being vaccinated against the coronavirus .
