World primary Carlos Alcaraz moved into the final 16 of the Miami Open after beating Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) on Sunday as he stays on monitor for tennis’ “Sunshine Double.”
The 19-year-old Spaniard, who beat Daniil Medvedev to win the title in Indian Wells last week, looked in top condition as he outclassed Lajovic in the first set to keep his Miami title defence on track.
But the Serb was able to provide some tension towards the end of the second set, breaking to make it 5-5 with Alcaraz paying the price for a sloppy return.
Alcaraz was 6-2 up in the tie-break, but Lajovic won the next three points before the Spaniard’s big back-hand winner settled the 91-minute contest.
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“Everything was under control or I thought it was but, you know, in the match it’s never easy,” Alcaraz mentioned.
“The nerves got here out. I made a number of errors that I hadn’t achieved throughout the entire match. So it was powerful to win the match. But I’m actually proud of the extent that I’m enjoying and it was match,” he added.
Alcaraz will face Tommy Paul in the last 16 and the American goes into that game on the back of a 12-match winning streak against Spanish players including wins over Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal last year.
“I lost the first and only match that I played against Tommy. I know that he’s a really talented and really tough player, so I have to play at my best and let’s see what’s going to happen,” mentioned Alcaraz.
With Nadal injured and Novak Djokovic barred from coming into the US because of his refusal to take a COVID vaccine, Alcaraz is the face of this match and the group was noticeably larger on the Hard Rock Stadium court docket for his recreation.
In the entrance row of the group was Miami Heat NBA star Jimmy Butler who embraced Alcaraz after the match.
Alcaraz mentioned that coping with his magnified profile is one thing he has but to get absolutely used to.
“I really feel nice seeing celebrities watching my matches. It’s unbelievable. I really feel a bit of bit nervous after I see an individual like Jimmy and the celebrities after I was enjoying within the US Open,” he said.
“In a certain way, I can’t believe that these people enjoy watching my matches. For me, it’s crazy,” he mentioned.
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– Straight units for Fritz –
American Taylor Fritz rolled into the fourth spherical for the third consecutive 12 months after clinching a 6-4, 6-4 win towards Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.
In a hard-hitting encounter, with each gamers blasting from the baseline, Fritz didn’t face a break level through the 81-minute encounter.
Fritz has already gained one match in Florida this 12 months, taking the title final month at Delray Beach and within the fourth spherical, the American shall be up towards 19-year-old Holger Rune in who beat Argentine Daniel Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2.
As at all times at Miami, there’s a massive contingent of Argentine tennis followers they usually had been vocal of their help for Schwartzman.
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But Dane Rune transformed all 4 break factors he earned within the sizzling afternoon solar.
“My focus was actually to step in each time I might and play my recreation. I feel there have been a number of rallies the place I didn’t, however 95 per cent of the match was performed on my phrases, which was what I needed,” he said.
Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp triumphed for the third time in four meetings with Norway’s world number four Casper Ruud, emerging with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The tight encounter, with a 75-minute third set, turned decisively towards Van de Zandschulp when he held to go 5-4 up with Ruud going wide at the end of a long rally.
The Dutchman sealed victory when on match point, Ruud’s soft volley found the net.
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Italian Jannik Sinner continued his strong start to the year, defeating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-4.
It was an error-strewn match in which players hit double the number of unforced errors to winners but Sinner handled Dimitrov’s second serve well as he seeks his second Miami final appearance.
Fourth-seed Daniil Medvedev moved into the fourth round after his scheduled third-round opponent Alex Molcan of Slovakia withdraw from Monday’s clash with a right hip injury.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed)
