Carlos Alcaraz withstood a barrage of big hitting from a familiar foe in Yannick Hanfmann in the Australian Open second round on Wednesday, with fellow top seed Aryna Sabalenka also enduring some shaky moments before sealing progress.
Title contender Coco Gauff was another to book a spot in the next round, making short work of Olga Danilovic, and there was more joy for Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez, who matched her best run at a Grand Slam by reaching the third round.
After a breezy win in the opening round, the 22-year-old Alcaraz was given more of a workout by world number 102 Hanfmann at a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena but rose to the challenge and prevailed 7-6(4) 6-3 6-2.
“I knew he was going to play great,” Alcaraz said.
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“I knew his level. We came through the Challengers together, I’ve played him. It was tougher than I thought at the beginning and I didn’t feel the ball that good.”
Alcaraz found himself trailing 1-3 in the first set and after getting back on level terms he wasted several chances to break Hanfmann’s huge serve again.
However, the six-time Grand Slam winner pounced in the tie-break to wrap up a physically draining opening set in 78 minutes, and carried that momentum into the second set, relying on his pace and precision to double his advantage.
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Hanfmann received medical treatment before the start of the third set and a free-flowing Alcaraz showed no mercy, sealing a double break and closing out the contest on serve.
“It was coming like a bomb,” the Spaniard said of Hanfmann’s power. “Forehand, backhand, serves. I had to be ready for those.
“I’m really happy that I got through a difficult first set ... and I played a really good level at the end of the match and get through.”
Sabalenka’s issues in the opener on the main showcourt came out of the blue, the Belarusian racing to a 5-0 lead against China’s Bai Zhuoxuan before suddenly stumbling and losing three games in a row.
However, the world number one refocused and proceeded to mow down Bai the rest of the way, running out a 6-3 6-1 winner to stay on track for her third title at the Grand Slam.
“She didn’t start well, but then she had the strength to step in and to change couple of things and, to put me under pressure. That was really impressive,” Sabalenka said.
“It seemed like she wouldn’t really care about the score. She would just try to find something that’s going to help her to win the match.”
Gauff was at her ruthlessly efficient best, the third seed crushing Danilovic 6-2 6-2 to progress, while Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko downed American Caty McNally 6-4 6-3.
Emma Raducanu’s day ended in disappointment, the 2021 US Open winner beaten by Austrian Anastasia Potapova 7-6(3) 6-2, while Elina Svitolina advanced in easier morning conditions, beating Linda Klimovicova 7-5 6-1.
Daniil Medvedev surrendered the opening set to Quentin Halys but the three-times runner-up dug deep to score a 6-7(9) 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory to join his childhood Russian friend Andrey Rublev in the next round.
While Russian flags are banned at Melbourne Park as part of measures imposed by Tennis Australia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, there were plenty of Turkish flags waving in the stands as Sonmez continued her dream run Down Under.
The 23-year-old, who has quickly become a crowd favourite after helping a ball kid who fainted on the opening day, beat Hungarian Anna Bondar 6-2 6-4 to progress to the third round, matching her feat from last year’s Wimbledon.
