‘Freak’ Carlos Alcaraz puts on a show to crush Alexander Shevchenko at Australian Open

MELBOURNE – Carlos Alcaraz was impressed with his level early in his bid to complete a career Grand Slam, after an imperfect but entertaining 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 win over Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko to ease into the Australian Open second round on Jan 13.

Four-time Major champion Alcaraz is targeting his maiden trophy at Melbourne Park to become the youngest man to capture all four Grand Slam titles and the 21-year-old went all guns blazing for an emphatic victory after a nervy opening game.

A mid-match dip notwithstanding, the world No. 3 Spaniard pulled off extraordinary shots which prompted retired Australian player John Millman to ask him after the contest what the secret to being such a “freak” was.

“I always say that it’s hard work,” a beaming Alcaraz said.

“I try to bring the best of me every day. That’s the secret. Every day, I try to be a better person and better player.”

The third seed, still fine-tuning a new service motion that he adopted in the off-season, fended off a break point and then broke in the third game to take full control of the opening set, which he wrapped up in double-quick time.

“I think I played a great level,” Alcaraz, who did not contest any of the tune-up tournaments, told reporters later.

“Honestly, the first match of the season, you never know how it’s going to be. I had the confidence to think that I was going to be good, but you never know.

“I’m just really happy with the level that I played, with everything I’ve done today. But I really want to be better in the next round.”

French Open and Wimbledon holder Alcaraz found his range with some devastating winners on both flanks and went up 3-1 in the second set but world No. 77 Shevchenko won the next four games as fans on Margaret Court Arena got behind the underdog.

Alcaraz switched back on and struck a fiery forehand winner to set up another break point and drew level in the 10th game as his opponent began to feel the intense pressure again and went on to surrender the set.

“That’s something that is in my mind, like ‘don’t be mad, just try to recover the good rhythm again’. That’s what I tried in the second set,” Alcaraz said.

“I think what happened was normal, to lose focus a little bit. I just want to try not to happen again in the next round. I’m just trying to focus my game again.”

With the momentum having swung definitively, 2022 US Open champion Alcaraz reeled off games in the third set and finished it off with a big ace on his fifth match point to book a second-round meeting with Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.

“I know Nishioka is tough player. I’ll try to play good tennis. I’ll try to do the things I’m improving and try to be more comfortable and getting more confident,” Alcaraz said.

“It’ll be a really good match (but) I’ll be ready. I’ll be focused to play my own game, and let’s see.”

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, survived a scare in his quest for tennis history before joining Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the second round.

Djokovic lost the first set to 107th-ranked American Nishesh Basavareddy in the prime-time evening match on Rod Laver Arena.

But the 37-year-old Serb, hoping to roll back the years and win an 11th Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam singles title, recovered to pull through 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic was animated at the end and struggled to raise a smile.

“In the end it was great, but he was the better player for the first set and a half and he deserved every bit of applause he got as he left the court,” he said.

“This kind of match is always tricky, playing against someone who has nothing to lose. He handled himself really well and I’m sure we’ll see plenty of him in the future.”

Italian world No. 1 Sinner was playing under a cloud after twice testing positive for traces of a steroid in March.

He denies wrongdoing and was cleared by the tennis authorities, but the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed and is seeking to ban him for up to two years.

Sinner was warmly welcomed on Rod Laver Arena before defeating Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

“I was curious to see how it was. You never know what’s happening,” he said about the reception.

“I was happy about the crowd,” added Sinner, who has not tasted defeat since losing to Alcaraz in the Beijing final in October 2024.

Earlier, the 11th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first major casualty when American Alex Michelsen blasted past him 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

The 26-year-old Greek, who played Djokovic in the 2023 final at Melbourne Park, never looked comfortable against the world No. 42.

“It just sucks in a way that I’ll be hanging around for quite a while now before my next tournament comes,” said Tsitsipas.

The 12th-seeded Tommy Paul was tested all the way before prevailing 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 against Australia’s Christopher O’Connell. REUTERS, AFP