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World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz hit a shot reminiscent of Roger Federer during his 2024 Indian Wells second-round victory over Italy's Matteo Arnaldi on Saturday (March 9).
Alcaraz is defending his 2023 title crown in the Californian desert this fortnight. Having received a first-round bye, the Spaniard had to weather a tough challenge from Arnaldi, who took the first set in a tiebreaker in just over an hour.
Carlos Alcaraz, however, stayed strong to reel off 12 of the next 13 games as he registered a 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-1 win to reach the third round in Indian Wells. Interestingly, while there was an array of breathtaking shots that the 20-year-old hit on Friday, one shot stood out in particular.
At 3-3 in the first set, Alcaraz held break point on Matteo Arnaldi's serve. The Italian landed a good first delivery, but the Spaniard surprised him by approaching the minicourt just before the ball had left his racquet. Consequently, he took the ball early on the rise off his backhand return as he had moved into the court, allowing him to approach the net.
A helpless Arnaldi didn't expect this tactic, which had been popularized by Roger Federer, responding with a shot that Carlos Alcaraz easily put away with a backhand volley.
Roger Federer famously employed the 'Sneak Attack By Roger (SABR)' in his defeat of Novak Djokovic in the 2015 Cincinnati Masters final. The Swiss maestro had surprised the Serb with the tactic in the third game of their championship-match encounter, returning an underpowered second serve early off the ground to win the point.
Carlos Alcaraz to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in Indian Wells 3R
Carlos Alcaraz will take on 31st seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round of the 2024 Indian Wells Masters. The Spaniard will likely be wary of this match-up, considering how the former World No. 6 leads him 3-1 in their head-to-head.
Auger-Aliassime notched his first-career win over Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the 2021 US Open where the latter retired at 3-6, 1-3 down due to an injury. The Canadian then came from a set down to beat the Spaniard 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in a group-stage match at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals.
Alcaraz lost 3-6, 2-6 to Auger-Aliassime again a month later at the Swiss Indoors Basel. The former World No. 1 finally scored his first win in their rivalry at last year's Indian Wells Masters, beating the Canadian 6-4, 6-4 en route to a title-winning glory.
