Aus Open: Alcaraz cruises to fourth round; Zverev matches Becker’s German record
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Carlos Alcaraz advanced past Nuno Borges 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2, delivering a swift and emphatic response after dropping his first set of the tournament, to enter the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second time in four appearances here on Friday.
The Spaniard is bidding to become the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam in men’s singles history. Moreover, the 21-year-old Alcaraz can become the youngest champion at the hard-court major since Novak Djokovic (20) in 2008, according to ATP stats.
Alcaraz will meet the winner of Friday night’s showdown between 15th seed Jack Draper and Aleksandar Vukic in the last 16. Beyond that, he could face record 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in a potential quarterfinal that has been circled since the draw came out.
Alcaraz set the tone early, breaking in the opening game of the match and again to seal the first set. Tested in the second by the world No. 33, Alcaraz unleashed a huge forehand to break the stalemate in the ninth game before closing out the set with an ace.
Borges had chances to break early in the third, but Alcaraz snuffed out both opportunities with crisp forehand winners. Undeterred, the top-ranked Portuguese player created another break opportunity to earn a set point at 5-6 but overhit a backhand return. Alcaraz forced a decisive tiebreak, but after some loose points, gifted the set to Borges with a wide forehand, the tournament reports.
In the fourth set, Alcaraz secured an early break by chasing down a lob to crack a forehand winner. While Borges saved break points to avoid falling to 0-4 and 1-5 deficits, his accomplished foe’s march to the finish line had an air of inevitability. After almost three hours, the four-time major champion clinched the match when a Borges forehand found the net.
In other men’s singles action, Alexander Zverev continued his dominant Australian Open progress with a third consecutive straight-sets win. The German eased past Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, setting up a fourth-round showdown against the winner of the all-French matchup between Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils.
By reaching the Australian Open fourth round for the sixth time, Zverev matched Boris Becker’s Open Era record for German men. With 21 total Grand Slam fourth-round appearances, Zverev now trails only Becker’s 31 for most among German men.
A Melbourne semifinalist in both 2020 and 2024, Zverev is bidding for his maiden Grand Slam title this fortnight. A two-time major finalist, he came within a set of glory at the 2020 US Open and last year at Roland Garros.
–IANS
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