Carlos Alcaraz moved into the US Open third round on Thursday with an entertaining 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Lloyd Harris in a match that also revealed a lack of sharpness the Spaniard will need to rectify if he is to successfully defend his crown.
Some dazzling shot-making from the tournament’s top seed had the crowd on its feet, but behind the fun were some worrying flaws, as Alcaraz piled up 29 unforced errors and showed a lack of concentration at key moments.
Even while not at his best, Alcaraz could rely on raw talent and a vast repertoire of shots to see off the 177th-ranked South African. But the 20-year-old will need to improve with rival Novak Djokovic on the prowl for a 24th Grand Slam title and seeking revenge for his Wimbledon loss to Alcaraz.
After the match, Alcaraz focused on the positives, rating his effort as “great” but admitting to a letdown in the third set.
“I think I played great, a great match,” he said. “But obviously in the third set he started to play better. I got down a little bit.
“I need extra energy in the third set.
“In the end, I think I played a pretty good match and will try to keep the same level.”
Harris is recovering from wrist surgery and has seen his ranking drop, but the big-hitting South African reached the quarterfinals in 2021 and has a few top-10 wins on his resume, including one over Rafael Nadal.
The contest got off to a cautious start before Alcaraz began to settle into the match, taking control of the first set with a break to go up 3-2.
From that point on, he dialed up the pressure and clinched the set with a second break.
Alcaraz continued to dominate in the second but lost focus in the third, committing 16 of his 29 unforced errors, as Harris threatened to take the contest to a fourth set before losing the tiebreak 7-4.
There will be no room for such lapses in the third round for Alcaraz with 26th seed Dan Evans waiting in the wings.
“It’s a really tough player, good serve and volley, good net game,” Alcaraz said. “It’s going to be really tough.
“I will have to return very, very well if I want to win that match.”
Jannik Sinner also advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory over fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
Sixth-seeded Sinner improved to 10-0 lifetime against his countrymen. He’s seeking a deep run at Flushing Meadows after reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon this year and the quarterfinals at last year’s US Open, losing to Alcaraz in a five-set…
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