Carlos Alcaraz has benefited from the two-day rest since his debut victory against Adam Walton. The Spaniard took the opportunity to … disconnect and train and reaped the rewards this Wednesday with another practically flawless victory against the German Yannick Hanfmann (7-6 (4), 6-3 and 6-2).
Alcaraz, who tried the night session the other day and this time got up a little earlier to play during the day in Melbourne, only had problems in the first set, when Hanfmann, taking advantage of an inopportune double fault by the Murcian, took a 1-3 lead on the scoreboard. She was immediately neutralized by Alcaraz, who, unable to convert more break balls, played the first set in the tiebreaker. There history repeated itself, Hanfmann had 3-4 and two serves to take the set at will, but Alcaraz’s reaction was to take the next four points and show who is the number one in the world.
After an intricate first set, the second was the opposite and Alcaraz dominated from his serve, without allowing a single break point and with a list of twelve winners to raise the lead to two sets to zero and prevent Hanfmann from re-entering the match.
The German did not have the mental or physical strength to dream of a comeback from that point on. It was a routine victory for Alcaraz who scored two more breaks in the third and only got confused serving to seal the victory, when he solved a 0-40.
As soon as he won the match, Alcaraz signed on camera sending a message of encouragement to those affected by the railway incidents in Spain. “A lot of encouragement for what is happening in Spain,” wrote the Murcian.
Minutes later, in a more relaxed atmosphere in the interview at the foot of the court, Alcaraz revealed that these days he has played golf with Roger Federer, after the Swiss visited Melbourne for a ceremony to recognize his career.
«I try to make the most of my free days to play golf. The other day I was lucky enough to play with Roger. His golf is as beautiful as his tennis. It doesn’t surprise me because everything he does is incredible, everything he does is very beautiful. I think he has been playing for two years and his level is very good. I’ve been there for five years and he beat me.”
Alcaraz’s next match in the tournament will be interesting. It was Corentin Moutet, one of the most anarchic and problematic tennis players on the circuit. The Frenchman defeated Tristan Schoolkate in the first round. In the second, he took advantage of Michael Zheng’s withdrawal and for the first time in his career he will face Alcaraz. Moutet is used to controversy on the court, in addition to being known as a tennis player who tries surprising tricks, and his last problem occurred in the last Davis Cup in Bologna, when, with the match practically won against Belgium, he tried a shot between his legs that went wrong and ultimately cost him defeat.
This Wednesday, Alejandro Davidovich also signed his ticket to the third round in a very difficult match against server Reilly Opelka (6-3, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 4-6 and 6-4). The American placed 37 direct serves and made Davidovich desperate, who lost a two-set lead and ended up facing part of the public who kept bothering him during the match. The man from Malaga, who repeats last year’s result, curiously will face the same rival who eliminated him in 2025, Tommy Paul. The American has overcome the injuries that hindered him in the final stretch of last year and will face Davidovich for the fifth time in his career. Paul won the previous four although, a year ago, the Spaniard played that match very physically weakened after going to five sets in the previous two rounds.
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