Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his 100th Grand Slam match with a straight-sets victory over Corentin Moutet to reach the Australian Open last 16.
CARLOS Alcaraz marked his 100th Grand Slam match with a commanding performance to reach the Australian Open fourth round on Friday.
The top seed and six-time major winner overpowered French showman Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena in just over two hours.
Victory sets up a last-16 clash with American 19th seed Tommy Paul, who advanced after his Spanish opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired hurt.
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The Australian Open remains the only Grand Slam title missing from the 22-year-old Spaniard’s collection.
Alcaraz could become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam if he triumphs in Melbourne this year.
“It wasn’t easy,” Alcaraz said after the match. “When you play someone like Corentin you don’t know what’s going to be next, so that’s really difficult to approach the match.”
He added that he had fun on court and believed both players produced great shots and points.
The win improved Alcaraz’s remarkable Grand Slam match record to 87-13, matching the legendary Bjorn Borg’s record at the same career stage.
Moutet, who had never beaten a world number one, was broken in the very first game as Alcaraz raced through the opening set in 35 minutes.
The Frenchman briefly rallied in the second set, reeling off four straight games from 0-3 down with creative shots including underarm serves.
Alcaraz quickly regained control to secure the set before cruising through the third with minimal resistance. – AFP
