Carlos Alcaraz qualified for the round of 16 of the Australian Open by knocking out the Portuguese Nuno Borges (ATP 33) in the third round. The world No. 3 nevertheless conceded his first set in this fortnight.
The four-time Grand Slam winner won 6-2 6-4 6-7 (3/7) 6-2 against an opponent he had already dominated in their only previous duel, in 2023 on the clay of Barcelona. He nevertheless recovered perfectly after the loss of the third set, pocketing the first three games of the fourth set.
In the round of 16, Alcaraz will face either the British Jack Draper (ATP 18) or the Australian Aleksandar Vukic (ATP 68). The 21-year-old Spaniard could find Novak Djokovic (ATP 7) in the quarter-finals, crowned 10 times in Melbourne and in search of a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz’s best result in Melbourne is a quarter-final, lost in 2024 against Alexander Zverev (ATP 2). The latter qualified for the round of 16 just a few minutes before the Spaniard, dominating the Briton Jacob Fearnley (ATP 92) 6-3 6-4 6-4.
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