BNP Paribas Open: Carlos Alcaraz earns 100th career win to reach Round of 16 at Indian Wells
Carlos Alcaraz survived a first set tiebreak before cruising to a straight sets victory Monday over Tallon Griekspoor on Stadium Court at the BNP Paribas Open.
The 7-6(4), 6-3 win brings the Spanish tennis star one step closer to becoming the first teenager to win the men’s draw in the 49-year history of the tournament.
The victory also gives Alcaraz his 100th World Tour win. Only John McEnroe has done it in fewer matches than Alcaraz.
"A lot has happened since that first ATP win," Alcaraz said. "You know, I'm really proud of myself to have my 100th win on the tour, in like 132 matches. I saw I was the second player in history with less matches to be able to get to 100 wins. Yeah, I'm really proud of myself about that."
Alcaraz, who at 19 years old is the top seed in the Indian Wells men’s draw, will advance to play Jack Draper of Great Britain on Tuesday evening in the Round of 16 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Former NBA MVPs Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash sat courtside, next to tournament owner and tech billionaire Larry Ellison.
Nowitzki and Nash had been on this court before, when the Phoenix Suns played the Dallas Mavericks in a preseason basketball game on Stadium Court on Oct. 9, 2010. Nowitzki, who caught a tennis ball that landed in his lap Monday, did not play in that preseason game inside Stadium 1.
With them looking on in the half-full stadium, Griekspoor, the 31st seed in the draw, went toe-to-toe with Alcaraz. Wearing a white backward cap, the Dutch player did not buckle under the pressure.
Alcaraz simply made a couple more shots in the tiebreak, which seemed to steal the match's momentum.
In the second set, Alcaraz went up an early break and held serve to finish out the victory.
Alcaraz reached the semifinals at Indian Wells last year, losing to Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz went on to win the Miami Open and the U.S. Open, two of the three big American tournaments. Indian Wells is the other.
A teenager has never won the men’s draw at all three tournaments. Alcaraz, who turns 20 on May 5, has a chance to be the first. He'll need to get past Draper on Tuesday.
"I know he's a really good player," Alcaraz said. "I mean, he's playing well. He has beaten great opponents like (Dan) Evans and Andy (Murray). I know that I'm gonna have to play my best, give my 100% on court.
"Yeah, it's gonna be a really tough match and I'm gonna enjoy."
Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Carlos Alcaraz beats Tallon Griekspoor at Indian Wells
