Carlos Alcaraz says it wasn’t until his team debrief that he realised how well he performed in his latest match at the Australian Open.
The top seed sealed his place in the last 32 with a 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 win over Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann on the Rod Laver Arena. Alcaraz was broken just once in the match, which was early on in the first set. Furthermore, he hit 41 winners against 30 unforced errors and won 69% of his first service points. It is his 13th main draw win at the Australian Open and his 86th at a major event overall.
“I didn’t see myself playing that good. But then talking to my team, I realized that I played better than I thought, which I think is great.” He said during his press conference.
“But I am still getting used to the conditions, getting used to playing better. Obviously, I think in front of me, I just played against a great player today.
“I’m happy that I’m just improving every day after every match. So hopefully I’ll be better in the next round.”
Alcaraz is chasing after a historic title at Melbourne Park this year, which will set two Open Era records. Should he claim the title, he would become the youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam. He has already won each of the other three majors twice. Alcaraz would also become the youngest man to win a seventh Grand Slam trophy.
However, the Spaniard is not getting too carried away with plenty of tests awaiting him in the tournament. The next one will be a clash against France’s Corentin Moutet, who moved into the third round after his opponent, Michael Zheng, was forced to retire during the fourth set.
“What’s certain is that it’s going to be a fun match. He’s a very unpredictable player,” Alcaraz said in Spanish.
“It’s true that, even though he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, he follows a pattern. He hits drop shots, slices, goes forward, hits lobs, and comes to the net. I’m going to stay focused so that doesn’t mess up our game.”
Alcaraz is undefeated against players ranked outside the top 100 at Grand Slam events, winning all 22 he has played. 12 of those victories were achieved in straight sets.
He is scheduled to play his next match on Friday.
