Carlos Alcaraz has breezed previous Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-0 7-6 (7-5) to maintain his title defence on observe on the Miami Open.
Spain’s teen phenom gained Indian Wells to retake the highest rating final week and stored the momentum going at Hard Rock Stadium as he fired off 26 winners to arrange a fourth-round assembly with Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul.
“I always think that you have to go for it,” he instructed the Tennis Channel after the match. “That’s what I told myself in (those) tough moments.”
Lajovic shocked three-times grand slam winner Andy Murray within the first spherical however by no means hit his stride on Sunday, letting his solely break level likelihood slip by means of his fingers within the first set because the US Open winner placed on a near-flawless efficiency.
Alcaraz transformed on a break level within the third recreation of the second set with an expertly positioned forehand winner however helped his opponent to a break within the tenth recreation with a handful of uncharacteristic errors.
Lajovic refused to go down with no battle, warding off three match factors within the tiebreak. But Alcaraz by no means misplaced his nerve and clinched it with a blistering backhand winner earlier than pumping his fist triumphantly.
“Everything was under control,” stated Alcaraz, who greeted the Miami Heat’s six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler courtside after the match.
“But end of match is never easy. The nerves came out. I made a few mistakes that I didn’t do around the whole match. So it was tough to win.”
Earlier, Denmark’s Holger Rune despatched down seven aces and 27 winners to cease Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-2.
The seventh seed subsequent faces American Taylor Fritz for the primary time within the fourth spherical.
Later on Sunday, final 12 months’s two-time grand slam runner-up and No.3 seed Casper Ruud performs the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
