Alcaraz races into the Australian Open last 16
Published on: Sunday, January 21, 2024
By: AFP
Alcaraz hits a return during the game.
MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Shang Juncheng to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open for the first time on Saturday before the Chinese teenager was forced to retire injured.
The Spanish world number two, 20, playing a tour-level match against a player younger than himself for the first time in his career, was leading 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when his 18-year-old opponent had to pull out.
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Alcaraz, who missed last year’s tournament at Melbourne Park with an injury, said it was “not the way anybody wants to move on” after the lopsided contest, which lasted just 66 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
“I missed the tournament last year,” he said. “I was watching the matches at home from the couch, wishing to play in the second week here.
“This is the first time I have moved to the second week in Australia. It feels special.”
Shang held serve in his first game but Alcaraz won the next six games to take the set, not facing a single break point.
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The second set was also one-way traffic, with the Chinese player unable to live with Alcaraz’s power and range of shots.
Shang needed a medical timeout when 4-1 down in the second set, receiving treatment to his upper leg, but lost the next two games to give himself a mountain to climb.
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Alcaraz broke for a sixth time in the match at the start of the third set and in the next game Shang decided he could not continue.
The two-time Grand Slam champion next faces Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, who is ranked 60th in the world and beat 14th seeded American Tommy Paul in five sets.
Meanwhile, Tennis great Rod Laver suggested Saturday that engravers could start putting Novak Djokovic’s initials on the Australian Open trophy, with something “miraculous” needed to prevent him winning an 11th title.
Laver, the only player to twice win all four singles Grand Slams in the same calendar year, called the Serbian superstar “amazing” and admitted he would be shocked if anyone beat him.
“He has all the shots, he knows exactly when he can play them, when he can’t play them,” the 85-year-old told Australian media after arriving at the tournament from his California home.
“He’s priming himself to get through to the final.”
Laver, who has the centre court at the Australian Open named after him, added that Djokovic’s athletic prowess and tennis brain set him apart from everyone else.
“It almost unfolds in front of him, what he should be doing. He’s a great champion,” said the Australian 11-time Grand Slam winner.
“He serves well. His ground strokes are unbeatable.
“I have to believe unless someone miraculously plays their best tennis to knock him off, they can start putting part of his initials on the trophy now.”
Should Djokovic do as Laver expects, he will win a 25th Grand Slam to surpass Margaret Court’s all-time record.
The 36-year-old dropped sets in his opening two matches at Melbourne Park, when he said he was under the weather.
But he was back on form to coast into a fourth-round meeting with French 20th seed Adrian Mannarino.
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