Javier Sanchez
Updated Monday, January 22, 2024-11:13
Opponents will arrive who demand more, but on his way to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz
has already shown the legs, the right arm and the look of a champion.
Against
Miomir Kecmanovic
, a rival with resources, the number two in the ranking galloped and hit again, fast and fierce, to take the victory in just three sets, 6-4, 6-4 and 6-0, and in just one hour and 49 minutes.
Absent last year in Melbourne, perhaps only at the last Wimbledon had Alcaraz been seen so strong and so precise, in such optimal shape.
Alexander Zverev
awaits him in the next round
and two other tennis players in a state of grace appear on the horizon, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, but Alcaraz has already proclaimed himself ready.
After his training duel against the Chinese Juncheng Shang, a young and sore player, Kecmanovic was the perfect test to gauge the Spaniard's options in Australia.
Already mature, without defects and in clear progression, two years ago he had forced Alcaraz to a super tie-break in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters 1000.
On a good day for the number two in the ranking, he could serve as a springboard for the decisive phase of the Grand Slam;
On a bad day, he could beat him or, at the very least, make him doubt.
In the end, he came first.
From the first minute of the match, Alcaraz was a cyclone and, unlike on other occasions, he did not stop until the match was over.
More consistent than ever with his serve - he didn't concede any break balls - he was more aggressive than ever with his forehand - 18 winners - and got into the court whenever he could - nine winners in the net -.
His effectiveness in breaking options - five out of nine - showed that, as the tournament progresses, his concentration increases: he is already with everything.
He even had time to have fun, as in a rally in the second set, when he messed around at the net with Kecmanovic to the delight of the Rod Laver Arena crowd.