Deadlines run out so soon for Carlos Alcaraz, everything orbits so quickly around him, that his mere presence at Queen's already arouses passions among the London fans. And it is disconcerting how the Spaniard, in the eighth game on grass of his entire career, dispatches Jiri Lehecka, 21 years old, top-40 in the ranking, with such ease in just 85 minutes (6-2, 6-3).. And the best thing about it is that he still has room for improvement for his next quarterfinal match, against Grigor Dimitrov, Francisco Cerundolo's executioner (6-3, 7-5).

Two victories against Top-10 such as Andrey Rublev -in the quarterfinals in Doha- and Felix Auger Aliassime -in the round of 16 of the Australian Open- showed the danger of Lehecka. Closely followed by Tomas Berdych, who joined the coaching team led by Michal Navratil in February, the Czech shows off a game as stony as his gestures on the court. Tight jaw and flat blows, without concession for lyricism.

However, it would be redundant to emphasize that his impact on the circuit has nothing to do with what Alcaraz has achieved, two years younger, but two more years as a professional.. Even in this crash course in the secrets of weed, the supremacy of the 'number two' in the world is notorious.

Slip on the bottom line

Alcaraz continues to adapt the automatisms of his game on grass, but he is already capable of completing a match as round as this one. Taking advantage with a quick break, in the second game, multiplied his confidence. With the forcefulness of his drive and the explosiveness of his legs, the first set was a piece of cake for Carlos. Lehecka only threatened him with a double deuce in the third game.

In fact, Alcaraz's only shock, to call it something, was a slip on the bottom line, in search of one of those balls that only he dares to chase.. Fortunately, his left knee, in a strange foreshortening, touched down without incident.. With a blow brushing the line Carlos fastened his 6-2 in 40 minutes.

Armed with a much more complete repertoire, where he intersperses genius on the net with some tray more typical of paddle tennis, Alcaraz imposed his atrocious rhythm. And he was only compromised in the fifth game, with a favorable 3-1 and 15-40. Then he saved the gap thanks to a superb open serve and another rush from Lehecka from midcourt. From then until the end, the only objective of the Czech was to reach the locker room with a decent 6-3.