Riaan 
eSpain UCarlos Alcaraz udlule u-Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 ngeSonto ukunqoba i-Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 futhi waqinisekisa ukubuyela kwakhe endaweni yokuqala emhlabeni.
Umpetha we-US Open u-Alcaraz uqedele uMedvedev enqoba imidlalo engu-19, wamphuca isicoco sesine emiqhudelwaneni eminingi ukuze aqinisekise ukuthi uzothatha indawo kampetha we-Australian Open uNovak Djokovic esicongweni.
“Kuzwakala kumangalisa ukuphakamisa indebe lapha, ukubuyisela inombolo ye-1,” kusho u-Alcaraz. “Ngingathi lona kube umqhudelwano ophelele.”
U-Djokovic waseSerbia, uvinjelwe ukungena e-United States ngoba engakagonyelwa i-Covid-19, uhlale ngaphandle kwe-Indian Wells futhi uzophuthelwa yi-Miami Open eqala kuleli sonto, lapho u-Alcaraz engumpetha ovikelayo.
U-Alcaraz, 19, owaba ngumdlali omncane kunabo bonke emhlabeni ngemva kokunqoba kwakhe eFlushing Meadows ngonyaka odlule, wathatha isicoco sakhe sesithathu seMasters 1000 futhi wajoyina uzakwabo uRafael Nadal njengokuphela kwabadlali abawine okungenani abathathu esemncane. UNadal uwine ayisithupha ngaphambi kokuba ahlanganise iminyaka engu-20.
Wayengavimbeki eNkantolo Yenkundla, ebhodloza lokho ayekubiza ngokuthi “udonga” lwezivikelo ezisabekayo zikaMedvedev.
UMedvedev, ophuma esicongweni eRotterdam, eDoha naseDubai, akatholanga mpendulo njengoba u-Alcaraz exoshe abawine kuyo yonke inkantolo, edelela izimo ezinomoya.
“Kusobala ukuthi u-daniil akadlalanga ezingeni lakhe eliphezulu, kodwa ngijabule kakhulu ngokudlala kwami nangendlela engidlale ngayo lo mqhudelwano.”
FUNDA FUTHI: Iqembu lethenisi laseNingizimu Afrika kumele liyeke ukubeka izaba bese liqala ukudlala
Uthe ushintsho olukhulu kuyena kusukela ehlulwe kowandulela owamanqamu kuNadal ngeledlule e-Indian Wells wukukhululeka kwakhe ezigabeni ezinkulu zalo mdlalo.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi ithenisi lami alizange libe ngcono kangako kusukela ngonyaka odlule. Engikuthuthukisa kakhulu ukungayifaki ingcindezi, ukudlala ngokukhululeka. Lokho, kimi, kuyinto ebaluleke kakhulu.
“Yingakho ngikhombisa izinga eliphezulu, ngoba ngizwa sengathi anginayo ingcindezi. ngiyakujabulela.”
Impela uMedvedev akakwazanga ukukhuphula ingcindezi kuye.
I-backhand ewinayo ehlabayo inikeze u-Alcaraz ikhefu kusenesikhathi ekuqaleni njengoba egijimela phambili ngo 3-0.
Uzinike iphuzu elimisiwe nge-volley ye-forehand ecijile futhi wayivala nge-service engaphenduleki, wabe esewina amaphuzu okuqala angu-10 kwisethi yesibili endleleni eya ku-4-0.
Akazange abhekane nephuzu lokuphumula njengoba walipholisha ngehora elilodwa nemizuzu engu-11, owawina i-volley e-diving emnikeza iphuzu lomdlalo aliguqule nomunye owine isevisi.
Akulula
“Bengilindele umdlalo onzima,” esho. “Kuhlale kuwumdlalo wokulwa naye, futhi ngenze kahle namuhla. Yingakho kubukeka kulula – kodwa bekungenjalo.”
I-Alcaraz ibuyele kunombolo yokuqala yize iqale sekwephuzile unyaka. Ukulimala kwamphoqa ukuthi aphuthelwe yi-Australian Open, lapho u-Djokovic ethathe khona isicoco sama-22 seGrand Slam esilingana nerekhodi.
Kusukela ethule isizini yakhe ngoFebhuwari u-Alcaraz usenqobe isicoco eBuenos Aires wafinyelela kowamanqamu eRio de Janeiro.
Kodwa ukuze ahlale esicongweni kuzomele avikele ngempumelelo isicoco sakhe seMiami emasontweni amabili ezayo.
UMedvedev, owake wadlala indawo yokuqala emhlabeni futhi owawina i-US Open ngokwakhe, uphoxekile ngokuthi akazange adlale kahle, kodwa ujabule ngokudlula emzuliswaneni wesine e-Indian Wells okokuqala, naphezu kokusonta iqakala lakhe benqoba u-Alexander Zverev. futhi esika isithupha sakhe kwenye ingquza ngokumelene no-Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“Kungani ngingadlalanga ngendlela yami? Angazi. Mhlawumbe bekuyibhola lakhe. Mhlawumbe kwakuwumoya, unomoya omuhle namuhla, futhi kuye kwaba lula ukudlula kulo moya, futhi lokho kuvamile.
“Kodwa isonto belimangalisa,” wengeza uMedvedev ongakaze abe ngumlandeli wezinkantolo ezihamba kancane zase-Indian Wells.
“Benginobudlelwano obunobuthi nezinkantolo lapha,” esho ngesikhathi somcimbi wendebe njengoba ekhipha ohlwini olude lwalabo okumele ngibabonge.
“Ngithanda ukubonga le nkantolo. Bengiwunika isikhathi esinzima, ngakho kungifake kanzima, kwagingqa iqakala, kodwa kwanginika ithuba lokuqeda umqhudelwano ngakho ngibonga kakhulu kule nkundla.”
