MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz overcame a stern test from big-hitting Yannick Hanfmann to reach the Australian Open third round on Wednesday, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka also negotiated some nervous moments to move on.
Title contender Coco Gauff progressed with ease, and Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez matched her best Grand Slam run by advancing to the last 32.
After a comfortable opening-round win, the 22-year-old Alcaraz was pushed hard by world number 102 Hanfmann on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena. The Spaniard recovered from an early deficit to claim a tight first set before asserting control for a 7-6(4) 6-3 6-2 victory.
“I knew he was going to play great,” Alcaraz said. “It was tougher than I thought at the beginning and I didn’t feel the ball that good.”Alcaraz trailed 1-3 in the opening set and missed several chances against Hanfmann’s powerful serve, but he seized the tiebreak after 78 minutes to take the lead. Carrying that momentum forward, the six-times major winner relied on his speed and accuracy to pull away in the second set.
Hanfmann required medical treatment before the third set, and Alcaraz capitalised with a free-flowing display, sealing a double break before closing out the match on serve.
