New York [US], August 28 : The 2022 champion, Carlos Alcaraz, cruised to the third round of the ongoing US Open 2025 tennis tournament as he registered victory over Mattia Bellucci in three straight sets on Wednesday.
The second seed from Spain got the job done in 1 hour, 36 minutes with a 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 win against the unseeded Italian, according to Olympics.com.
In their second career head-to-head, their first in five years, Alcaraz produced his most dominant performance in a Grand Slam match by dropping only four games.
Alcaraz didn't face a single break point, and he won 86 per cent of his first service games in eliminating the 65th-ranked Bellucci.
The 2022 US Open champion - who captured his first major championship at Flushing - has won 41 of his last 43 matches.
"I played great, to be honest, since the beginning until the last ball," Alcaraz said. "I know Mattia's level, and today it wasn't his day. But I tried to make the most of his mistakes, tried to be in the match, getting a good rhythm. The less time I spend on court, I think it's much better for me, to go to bed early, just to be fresh, to be ready for the next round as much as I can," Alcaraz said after the match as quoted by Olympics.com.
Earlier on Tuesday, Alcaraz started his US Open campaign with a new look, a buzz cut and the same form, securing a win over Reilly Opelka in straight sets.
Alcaraz continued his title hunt with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win, overcoming Opelka's big serve with focused gameplay to march into the second round. The Spanish sensation is chasing his sixth major title.
"Today was a really difficult one against a really great player. With Reilly's serve, I could not get that rhythm I wanted to get in the match, but just really happy with everything I've done today. I think the return was one of the best things I did today, and then I just tried to play my best tennis, be focused on the serve. I think overall, I did a great performance today," he said, according to the ATP website.
"You feel like nothing depends on you, it always depends on him and the way he serves, the way he plays from the baseline. You just have to be focused, put as many returns in as you can, try to be in the rally and try to win the points that he lets you play from the baseline. It is really difficult when you play someone who does not let you play your game," he added.
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