On the front foot
Alcaraz set the tone with a break in the first game of the match, then further excited the crowd with a quintessential Alcaraz moment: a devilish topspin lob, taken out of the air, that had Ruud scratching his head just over ten minutes into the match.
“He didn’t make that — that’s obscene,” exclaimed two-time Indian Wells champion Jim Courier, who commentated the match for Tennis Channel.
The Norwegian netted a forehand moments later and took a dejected walk to his chair, now trailing 3-0 in the first set. The rest of the opening set went without resistance.
“My first set was unplayable, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I was really happy to be playing at that kind of level.”
Ruud rose to the challenge in the second. The three-time major finalist brought some of his own electricity to the big stage on Wednesday. He rifled a jaw-dropping forehand passing shot to level the set at three-all.
The Norwegian made it all the way through the set without facing a break point, but Alcaraz turned on the style in the tiebreak, making several winners for the highlight reel as he raced to victory.
Alcaraz will face 2021 champion Cam Norrie in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
