Carlos Alcaraz overcame an early stutter at the Australian Open to defeat German Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-2 and move into the third round as he continues his bid for a career Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.
After a breezy win in the first round against Adam Walton, the 22-year-old Alcaraz was given more of a workout by Hanfmann on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena but he rose to the challenge.
Alcaraz moved up a gear to draw level after trailing 1-3, but squandered several opportunities to break Hanfmann’s huge serve again before pouncing in the tie-break to wrap up a physically draining opening set in 78 minutes.
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The six-time Grand Slam winner did not let the second set become another arm-wrestle, relying on his pace and precision to surge ahead and double his advantage in the match.
Hanfmann looked deflated at the start of the third set after receiving medical treatment during the break and a more free-flowing Alcaraz showed no mercy as he sealed a double break and then closed out the contest on serve.
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Carlos Alcaraz is undefeated (22-0) at Grand Slam events against opponents ranked outside the ATP’s top 100, with 12 of those wins coming in straight sets.
“I knew he was going to play great, I knew his level,” said Alcaraz, who is bidding for a first title in Melbourne.
“We came through Challengers together. But it was tougher than I thought at the beginning, I didn’t feel the ball that good.
“The ball was coming as a bomb – forehand, backhand, serves. So I had to be ready for those. Really happy that I got through a difficult first set.
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“Felt better with my shots and played much better so happy to have played a really good level at the end of the match and get through to another round.”
Alcaraz is now planning to head back out on the golf course with Roger Federer before a potentially tricky third-round tie against talented Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
Norrie the last Brit standing in Melbourne
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Cameron Norrie booked his place in the third round with victory over Emilio Nava
Cameron Norrie booked his place in round three with a four-set victory over Emilio Nava to keep British interest in the singles alive.
The British No 2 stormed into a two-set lead and regained control after Nava claimed the third, prevailing 6-1 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) in three hours and 18 minutes.
“The crowd helped me so much,” Norrie told TNT Sports. “Credit to Nava, he was able to serve and play really well when the crowd was against him, that was not easy.
“I was feeling really relaxed coming out here. I was a bit tight on the ground strokes, but I managed to get it done. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Norrie, who reached round three in Melbourne for the fourth time in six years, could face third-seed and last year’s beaten finalist Alexander Zverev next.
Medvedev survives early scare to reach third round
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Daniil Medvedev survived an early scare against Frenchman Quentin Halys in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday but dug deep to record a 6-7 (9-11) 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory.
A three-time finalist at Melbourne Park, Medvedev battled for over an hour in the first set, only to lose after an intense tiebreak.
The Russian was also broken early in the second set by the world number 83 but regained his composure to level the match.
The 11th seed controlled the baseline exchanges in the third set to convert an early break point and followed it up with an aggressive service game.
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Daniil Medvedev is a player in form having won the Brisbane International warm-up event
Medvedev then exploited Halys’s weak returns with fierce groundstrokes to secure the win and advance to the third round.
“I feel I was playing much better in Brisbane,” said Medvedev, who won the Brisbane International tune-up event. “I still can’t get exactly used to the court here. I feel I am missing a bit of power in my shots.
“But while you continue winning in a tournament, you find it step-by-step.
“It’s for the first time in a couple of years I am in a third round of a Grand Slam, so feeling good.”
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, will meet Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in the third round.
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