Carlos Alcaraz set to face rival in exhibition event; Caroline Wozniacki to play Maria Sakkari

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Carlos Alcaraz Toronto

Carlos Alcaraz is set to face American rival Tommy Paul in an exhibition match in Mexico, while Caroline Wozniacki will take on Maria Sakkari. 

The matches will be part of the Tennis Fest exhibition which will be held at the Bullring in Mexico City on November 29, as reported by Central FOX MX.

In the previous edition of the event, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal played three-time major runner-up Casper Ruud.

It promises to be an enjoyable event for tennis fans, with both matches featuring popular and entertaining stars. Former Australian Open champion Wozniacki came out of retirement to return to tennis this year, while Sakkari won a WTA 1000 event on Mexican soil in Guadalajara last week.

Alcaraz and Ruud have faced off four times, with the head-to-head tied at 2-2. Three of the matches have been high-level encounters which went the distance, with Paul prevailing 6-7(4), 7-6(7), 6-3 in in their maiden clash in Montreal last year.

Alcaraz then won 6-4, 6-4 in Miami this March, before Paul again triumphed in Canada with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win in Toronto in August. The duo met again the following week in Cincinnati, with Alcaraz emerging a 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 6-3 winner to level the intriguing rivalry once again.

The two-time Grand Slam champion discussed Paul’s qualities in a press conference following the pair’s Toronto quarter-final match-up last month.

“He’s certainly a complete player. You know, the matches that we have played has been really tough ones. He’s a really solid player. Has great talent, great shots,” assessed the world No 2.

“He’s really, really fast as well. So he’s one of the best players in the world right now. There’s no doubt about it. He’s really tough on every surface. I mean, he’s a mix of everything. It makes him really, really tough.”

World No 13 Paul also spoke about his performance in his most recent victory over the 20-year-old Spaniard at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

“I played a really good match today. I really went after my shots. You can’t start any points on your heels against him or he’ll take advantage of that,” said the 26-year-old American in his press conference after beating Alcaraz in Canada.

“So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today. It helps knowing that you can beat your opponent.

“You never want to walk on the court and be like, ‘I don’t know if I can beat this guy’. It’s the attitude you’ve got to have no matter who you are playing. I would say it helped a little bit.”

READ MORE: ‘Carlos Alcaraz was No 1 most of this year but all the players still think Novak Djokovic is No 1’

Carlos Alcaraz Caroline Wozniacki Maria Sakkari Tommy Paul

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