The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz was fast-tracked to the round of 16 of the Australian Open after winning their third round duel this Saturday. For the first time since he entered the professional circuit, the 20-year-old Spaniard and number two in the world faced a player younger than him on the court, the Chinese Shang Jungcheng, only 18 years old.
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But the game only lasted a little over an hour (66 minutes). The Spaniard won the first two sets 6-1 and at the beginning of the third, with 1-0 down, the Asian teenager left due to injury.
Alcaraz, who missed the last Australian Open due to injury, he said “it's not the way anyone wants to move forward.” Even so, he acknowledged that with qualification for the round of 16, where he will face Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, he “feels special.”
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“It's the first time it went to the second week in Australia,” explained the Spaniard after winning the game. “I missed the tournament last year. I watched the games at home, from the couch, looking forward to playing the second week here.”
In addition, Carlos Alcaraz had a huge gesture with Shang and dedicated a special message to him that went around the world: “We will play again. Stay strong. I wish you a quick recovery.”
Alcaraz, whose best result in Melbourne was the third round played in 2022, and lost to the Italian Matteo Berrettini. The winner of the United States Open (2022) and Wimbledon (2023) will face Kecmanovic, world number 60, in the round of 16, who beat the American Tommy Paul in five sets.
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With information from EFE.
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