Carlos Alcaraz Advances to Second Round of 2023 US Open as Dominik Koepfer Retires Due to Injury
- Posted on August 30, 2023
- News
- By Sakshi Gupta
- 29 Views
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain had
a smooth start to his 2023 US Open campaign as he advanced to the second round
after a match cut short by an unfortunate injury. Alcaraz, the top seed, was
facing Germany's Dominik Koepfer at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
The match got off to a dramatic start when
Koepfer, ranked World No. 75, twisted his ankle just six points into the game.
This injury occurred while he was moving backward, trying to return a powerful
stroke by Alcaraz that sailed beyond the baseline. Despite the pain, the
29-year-old German soldiered on, seeking treatment after the first game.
Koepfer displayed remarkable determination,
managing to secure two games in each of the first two sets. However, as the
second set progressed, the discomfort from his ankle injury became too much to
bear. At this point, with Alcaraz leading 6-2, 3-2, Koepfer made the difficult
decision to retire from the match.
Carlos Alcaraz, who is just 20 years old,
expressed sympathy for his opponent, acknowledging the unfortunate turn of
events in the first game. He stated, "It was a shame for him in the first
game; he got injured with the ankle. Obviously, that's not the best way to get
through to another round."
Despite the circumstances, Alcaraz was in top
form, and he hopes to maintain this level in the next round. His next opponent
will be South African Lloyd Harris.
Reflecting on his performance at the Arthur
Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz spoke fondly of the court, saying, "This is a court
that I love playing on. Since the first step on the court [tonight], I felt
great, I felt amazing—the same energy that I felt last year. It was a great
start to the match, and I think I played and felt really well during the
match."
In other US Open action, Italian Jannik Sinner
secured an impressive victory, defeating German Yannick Hanfmann with a
commanding score of 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.
For more updates keep visiting our website www.topstoriesworld.com
where we provide unbiased, true and top
stories of the world.
