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Title holder in Rio, Carlos Alcaraz is the big favorite to succeed himself in this ATP 500. A real war machine on clay, the Spaniard crushed the competition last year and will want to achieve the same number. With the Buenos Aires tournament under his belt and already a title, the former world number 1 is in great shape. In the first round, he was opposed on Tuesday to the local wild-card Mateus Alves, 556th in the world. The match could not be completed due to heavy rain. Carlitos” was one game short of the round of 16, 6-4, 5-3. He won without surprise 6-4, 6-4 after the restart. The world number 2 will face Fabio Fognini this Thursday.
In a press conference, the Spaniard returned to the feelings after his return and his goal of 2023. “After four months off, I had a good week in Argentina, I’m confident. I want to have a great year, with a lot of tournaments. There is a little pressure because I have to defend several titles, but I want to enjoy it. The number one is a good goal, a goal that I would like to achieve this year, “he said. This week, Alcaraz is 590 points behind Novak Djokovic. Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé could have a title window in March, at the US Masters 1000, especially if Nole can’t participate. Not easy though, because Carlitos will have 1,360 points to defend out of 2,000 points to win. The margin is not thick.
