Carlos Alcaraz wins first glorious victory at US Open 2023

After defeating Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(4), Carlos Alcaraz overcame his first real challenge to advance to the third round of the 2023 US Open.

Alcaraz đang hướng tới danh hiệu vô địch đơn nam US Open hai năm liên tiếp. (Nguồn: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz competes in the second round of the US Open. (Source: Getty)

Alcaraz didn’t get to experience a real battle in the first round, having only played one set against Dominik Kopefer before the German withdrew due to injury. So it wasn’t until the second round that the reigning men’s singles champion faced his first real challenge.

Alcaraz is the youngest number one seed in US Open history, he successfully defended 9 of 10 break-points in the match against Kopefer, he also came back to win the third set after letting his opponent take the lead.

Harris was inconsistent, but the South African had brief spells of good play with some aggressive attacking play, particularly heavy serves throughout the match, but Alcaraz also showed great defensive qualities from the back of the court.

Both players were a bit unsteady in the first service game, both having to save two break points to protect their service games. However, Alcaraz quickly got back into the game, the Spaniard broke in the fifth and ninth games to win the first set 6-3.

Alcaraz thi đấu ở vòng hai US Open. (Nguồn: Getty).

Alcaraz is aiming for a second consecutive US Open men's singles title. (Source: Getty).

Harris started the second set with a clean serve, but then lost five games in a row, allowing Alcaraz to win 6-1. In the third set, Harris broke in the sixth game, taking a 4-2 lead, but Alcaraz broke back in the next game. When the score was not resolved after 12 games, the two players had to play a tiebreak in the third set. Alcaraz won 7-4 after having three mini breaks, losing two mini breaks.

Alcaraz improved his record this year to 55-6 (18-3 on hard courts), chasing his seventh title of the season and third Grand Slam title of his career. Alcaraz's next opponent will be Daniel Evans, the Briton who beat Botic van de Zandschulp 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.

The US Open is a tough tournament, since Roger Federer won 5 consecutive titles (2004-2008), no player has been able to win the men's singles two years in a row. Now, Alcaraz is the one who hopes to reap that success.

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