By joiner martinez
Aug 31, 2023, 23:50 PM EDT
The Spanish tennis player, Carlos Alcaraz maintained his good run in New York, beating Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (4) after two and a half hours of play and entered the third round of the US Open 2023.
Alcaraz is the defending champion of the contest and his last defeat at Flushing Meadows occurred in 2021 at the hands of Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 3-1 and retirement.
The Spaniard will face the British Daniel Evans in the next round. The 33-year-old is currently ranked number 28 and is coming off defeating Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp. In history, the Spaniard leads 2-0 with wins in Vienna 2021 and Barcelona 2023.
With this triumph, he reached 83% of victories in the Grand Slams and ousted Nadal (82.5%) to become the third player with the highest effectiveness in this type of tournament before turning 21.
The great percentage of the Murcian translates into 38 victories and only eight defeats. He is split as follows: 3-2 at the Australian Open, 11-3 at Roland Garros, 11-2 at Wimbledon and 13-1 at the US Open.
The list is led by the Swede Bjorn Borg (84.4%), followed by the American Mats Wilander (83.6%), Alcaraz ranks third (83%), Nadal fourth (82.5%) and the German Boris Becker (79.4%) finished the Top 5.
Leaning on his mental strength
Alcaraz especially shone escaping the ambushes that Harris tried to set him, especially through his powerful serve in the third set. “I think I played a great match from the beginning to the last ball”, stated Alcaraz. “I knew I would have to level up in the second set and I made few mistakes.”
And he stressed: “Winning in straight sets is very important for me in the first rounds.”
After a difficult break for him, he commented: “I had to quickly forget about that break. I played that game very badly but I stayed mentally strong to make a great return, it was good for me, ”recalled the Spaniard before thanking his compatriots and the rest of the Latino public for their encouragement from the stands.
“It’s amazing to have all this support every day,” he said with a smile. “I can only thank you and I hope we continue to be alive and enjoying every game.”
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