Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was in fine form as he stormed into the third round of Wimbledon by beating Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
The pair played out a fiercely-contested first set, which was won by the Spaniard in a tie-break, before he stormed to a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-2 win.
Alcaraz, 21, is bidding to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles after winning the French Open last month, while he also wants to add another Wimbledon title to his collection following his maiden triumph last year.
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“I’m really happy about my performance today,” Alcaraz said.
“The first set was the key for me to pull out all the nerves. It was really close.”
Alcaraz was 5-2 up in the first set before Kuvic raced back with some delightful tennis to force a tie-break.
The Australian then forced his way back to 5-4 from 5-1 down in the tie-break before Alcaraz took command and claimed the first set.
He didn’t look back after that point, with racing through the final two sets to claim the victory.
The defending champ is through in straight sets. ✅
He beats Aleksandar Vukic 7-6 6-2 6-2 on Court One to set up a third round clash with Frances Tiafoe. #BBCTennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ib7XLtCNGV
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 3, 2024
The World No3 will take on American 29th seed Frances Tiafoe next, who he beat on the way to winning the US Open in 2022.
Alcaraz added: “We played a really good match in the US Open. I know that he is a really talented player, he is even tougher here on grass with his style.
“It’s going to be a really difficult match for me but I’m ready to take that challenge, I’m ready to play a really high level of tennis.”
