With great pressure, comes high expectations. This couldn’t be more so for Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and American Sebastian Korda.
Both sealed their place in the last 32 of the Australian Open for the first time on day three.
They did so, however, in contrasting fashion.
Alcaraz at 18 is the splitting image of his icon, Rafael Nadal, and its clear the youngster has certainly bulked up during the off-season.
Sporting a Rafa like tank top and showcasing his muscles, Alcaraz was not messing around.
On the other side of the net was veteran Serbian, Dušan Lajović, who for most of the match, was simply blown off the court by the sheer power and velocity of the Spaniard.
Alcaraz, who a year ago sat at 141st in the world, now ranked 32 on the ATP Tour, came out of the blocks fast as he sealed the break at 3-2 to take the ascendancy in the opening set.
Another break came in game eight as Lajović crumbled under pressure, handing the Spaniard the set, 6-2.
The second set began with both players holding serve but Alcaraz was beginning to thump the ball at the Serbian, who began to wilt.
Last year’s Next Gen winner was simply overwhelming his opponent, and secured the double-break to clinch the second set 6-1.
At 4-3 up it looked as if Lajović might be able to at last gain a foothold on the match, but Alcaraz was having none of it, showcasing some fine serve and volley skills.
At 5-5, the Spaniard sent a thumping forehand down the line to steal the decisive break.
The man who conquered Stefanos Tsitsipas at last year’s US Open, made no mistake in serving out another fine victory to underline his championship aspirations.
On this kind of form, its easy to see why many are tipping him to become a future world number one. He will face Matteo Berrettini next.
Another bright star, Korda, had a much tougher time out on court 8.
Frenchman Corentin Moutet put the cat amongst the pigeons as he took the opening set 6-3. Korda roared back to take the second 6-4.
The third set was a battle of attrition, as Moutet edged the tie-break taking it 7-2.
Staring down defeat, Korda began to show some tidy net skills of his own, and soon delighted the crowd with a sublime drop-shot from the baseline at 4-3 in the fourth.
Moutet shrugged his shoulders in disbelief, as Korda sealed the set 7-5 to force a decider.
The point of the match came in one of the longest rallies, as Korda arrowed a backhand down the line, as Moutet could only drop his racquet and shake his head in anguish.
Korda eventually won a near five-hour marathon as he clinched the final set tie-breaker 10-6 with a huge forehand winner, as he screamed with delight.
The American plays Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta next, who beat Tallon Griekspoor in five sets.
