Carlos Alcaraz banishes US Open demons to reach third round

NEW YORK – Carlos Alcaraz put the “bad thoughts” of last year’s early US Open exit behind him on Aug 27, as he charged into the third round with a straight-sets win over Mattia Bellucci.

The five-time Grand Slam champion powered past world No. 65 Bellucci 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 to set up a meeting with another Italian, 32nd seed Luciano Darderi.

Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open winner, suffered a shock second-round loss at the tournament in 2024 and revealed that was on his mind as he walked out for the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“If I’m honest, I thought about last year when I stepped on the court,” he said.

“Some bad thoughts. I was nervous about it, like thinking, okay, I don’t want to do the same thing as I did last year, losing in the second round.

“I just thought about it a little bit, but, you know, I’m just really happy that I got through and have another chance in the third round.”

Any prospect of a repeat letdown was quickly dismissed by the Spanish second seed who won the first five games as the outplayed left-hander offered little resistance in the opening sets.

Alcaraz then wrapped up the victory in 1hr 36min to stay on a collision course with reigning champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

“I played great to be honest from the beginning until the last ball,” added Alcaraz, 22.

“I know his (Bellucci’s) level. Today wasn’t his day and I tried to make the most of his mistakes.

“In general, I’m just really happy with the performance. The less time I spend on court the better for me.”

Alcaraz and Sinner have combined to sweep the last seven Grand Slams and met in both the French Open and Wimbledon finals this year – Alcaraz winning at Roland Garros and Sinner at Wimbledon.

The Spaniard has reached the final of his last seven tour events and cites his painful 2024 defeat by Botic van de Zandschulp in New York as a watershed moment in his career.

“I think it was really helpful for me. Back at that time it was the worst thing I have ever done,” said Alcaraz.

“But yeah, looking back, I wanted just to improve from the experience.

“I think when I lost in the second round last year, (it) was one of those moments when I learnt a lot how to deal with some situations, how should I have done things much better. I think I’ve just done it this year much, much better. So it was a great experience that I learnt a lot from.”

In another match, Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to also advance.

The Serb, who could meet Alcaraz in the semi-finals if the draw follows the seedings, kept his dream of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title alive after a four-set defeat of American qualifier Zachary Svajda.

He was forced to dig deep after losing the first set before claiming a 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win.

The 38-year-old said that while not at his best, he is hoping to play himself into form as the tournament progresses. He also believes he still has something to prove every time he steps on court.

“One can always think that there is nothing more to achieve or to prove because you’ve done it all, but it’s quite relative,” said Djokovic. “It’s quite individual the way you see it.

“I’m not pleased with my level of tennis, but you have days like this where you’re not playing at your best, and you just kind of find a way.

“I still love the feeling of competition, the drive that I feel on the court. I get really hard on myself a lot of the times because I expect myself to play always at the highest level.”

In other news, former champion Daniil Medvedev was fined a total of US$42,500 (S$55,000) by the US Open for his spectacular meltdown during a loss to Benjamin Bonzi in the first round. AFP, REUTERS