TORONTO: Carlos Alcaraz won his 13th ATP match in a row as the world No. 1 began the Toronto Masters by defeating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) on Wednesday.
The second-round battle of the two 20-year-olds went to the Spaniard, who is bidding for Canadian success after winning successive trophies at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon.
Alcaraz now stands 48-4 on the season as he begins the buildup for his defense of the US Open title. The top seed admitted that he was out-hit at times by his 41st-ranked American opponent in the 56-minute contest — his first career win in Toronto. “He was more aggressive than me from the start,” Alcaraz said. “I tried to be solid and find my rhythm but I had some trouble. “But I’m happy to be through to the next round.
Matches like this help to focus. I have to play better from now on,” added Alcaraz, who faces Polish 15th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the last 16.