Alcaraz crushes Kecmanovic in Australian Open fourth round

Carlos Alcaraz wasted no time booking his place in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday, as he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in just one hour and 49 minutes to kick off the night session in Rod Laver Arena.

The only previous meeting between Alcaraz and Kecmanovic was a three-set thriller at the 2022 Miami Open — won by Alcaraz. This time, though, the Spaniard made sure to not give his opponent any chance. A ruthless performance from start to finish saw Alcaraz hit 43 winners compared to just 19 unforced errors. He struck five aces without double-faulting, won 83 percent of his first-serve points and did not face a single break point.

I did everything perfectly…. I pushed him to the limit in every point.

Carlos Alcaraz

Unsurprisingly, Alcaraz was thrilled with his performance.

“I think everything,” the two-time major champion said when asked what was working for him. “I did everything perfectly. I think today it was a pretty good match, but I pushed him to the limit in every point. Obviously he has played a lot of tough matches in five sets, so physically he was not at his 100 percent.

“I’m feeling better and better every day. Every match that I’ve been playing here in Rod Laver Arena, I’ve been feeling more comfortable. It’s a pleasure to play here. Thankfully I’m showing my best level.”

Alcaraz vs Zverev in Australian Open quarter-finals

Next up for Alcaraz in the quarters on Wednesday is Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who outlasted Cameron Norrie in five sets. Zverev holds a 4-3 advantage in the head-to-head series.

“Playing at this level, I will have my chances,” the 20-year-old assessed. “I love playing against him; I think we bring a high level of tennis. I will try to play my best tennis and let’s see what happens.”

In the previous rounds in Melbourne, Alcaraz beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet (7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2), Italian Lorenzo Sonego (6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (3)) and Chinese wild card Juncheng Shang (6-1, 6-1, 1-0 ret.).

Kecmanovic’s run included victories over Japanese Yosuke Watanuki (4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4), German Jan-Lennard Struff, the No 24 seed (6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (9)) and American Tommy Paul, the No 14 seed (6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-0).

Melbourne (Grand Slam), other last 16 results (Melbourne Park, hard, USD 58.910.000, most recent results first):

• Alexander Zverev beat Cameron Norrie (19): 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3)
• Hubert Hurkacz (9) beat Arthur Cazaux (WC): 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-4
• Daniil Medvedev (3) beat Nuno Borges: 6-3, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-1
• Andrey Rublev (5) beat Alex De Minaur (10): 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-0
• Jannik Sinner (4) beat Karen Khachanov (15): 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
• Taylor Fritz (12) beat Stefanos Tsitsipas (7): 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
• Novak Djokovic (1) beat Adrian Mannarino (20): 6-0, 6-0, 6-3

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