New York: Carlos Alcaraz moved past Australian qualifier Li Tu to enter the second round of the US Open. The 21-year-old extended his major match-winning streak to 15 after a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win against the World No. 186 player.
The victory late on Tuesday night was Alcaraz’s 60th Grand Slam singles victory in his career, a milestone reached in just 70 matches. He is the second-quickest man to 60 major victories in the Open Era, trailing only John McEnroe, who did so in 69 matches.
Alcaraz aims to become the third man in the Open Era to win Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year. Rod Laver (1969) and Rafael Nadal (2010) accomplished the feat. according to ATP.
Next up for the Spaniard is a potentially tricky second-rounder against Botic van De Zandschulp, the 2021 US Open quarterfinalist and former world No. 22, who dispatched 2020 US Open quarterfinalist and former Top-10 player Dennis Shapovalov in the opening round.
The 21-year-old Alcaraz raced to a 4-0 lead in under 15 minutes, easily capturing the first set and going up a break in the second set. But Tu fought back gamely, turning away repeated break-point opportunities (four of five in the second set) and breaking the heavy favorite in consecutive service games to steal the frame.
“I had to accept that I lost the second set and had to clear my mind. I had chances in the second set that I didn’t take, but I knew I was playing well, hitting the ball well. It was a few mistakes, and I tried not to make the same mistakes in the third set than I made in the second set and try to make it harder for him, to push him to the limit and be really focused on every ball,” Alcaraz said in a post-match interview with ESPN.
The third set looked like a repeat, with Tu dancing in and out of trouble and Alcaraz’s frustration growing. Everything turned at 3-3, Alcaraz finally consolidating a break point and following it with an easy hold.
From there, the rout was on, the No. 3 seed steadily finding the range and bringing the New York crowd to life with his trademark mix of on-the-sprint winners and booming forehands.
