Spanish teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at the Australian Open, demolishing Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in a mere 81 minutes to breeze into the third round. The straight-sets triumph marked Alcaraz’s shortest completed match at a Grand Slam and underscored his status as a top title contender.
Alcaraz’s Blistering Start
The 18-year-old phenom came out of the gates firing, winning the first nine games of the match before Nishioka could even get on the scoreboard. Alcaraz’s aggressive, all-court game overwhelmed his opponent from the first point.
I think the less time you spend on the court at the Grand Slams … it’s going to be better, you know? Physically, I’m feeling great.
– Carlos Alcaraz
Potent Serve Propels Victory
Alcaraz’s serve, a focal point of his offseason training, proved nearly untouchable. The Spaniard fired 14 aces and won an astounding 89% of his first serve points, the highest percentage of his career at a major. Nishioka failed to generate a single break point opportunity.
- 32 of 36 first serve points won (89%)
- 0 break points faced
Alcaraz expressed delight with his serving prowess, noting, “I’m really happy with the serve today, it’s something that I worked on. I wasn’t too happy with the serve in the first round.”
Chasing History and the Career Slam
Already a two-time Grand Slam champion after conquering the French Open and Wimbledon last year, Alcaraz is vying to become the youngest man to achieve the career Grand Slam. Capturing the Australian Open title would leave him just a US Open shy of the rare feat.
That’s one of the reasons I really want to win this tournament one day, just to put my name on that short list. Hopefully [it’s] this year.
– Carlos Alcaraz on the career Grand Slam
Next up for Alcaraz is the winner of the match between Australia’s Jordan Thompson and Portugal’s Nuno Borges. With his sights set on a maiden Australian Open crown and tennis immortality, the Spanish prodigy shows no signs of slowing down.
Carlos Alcaraz’s R2 stats (via AusOpen)
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) January 15, 2025
