Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he has been left “surprised” at some of the players who have lost at the US Open - but warned Novak Djokovic there are still plenty of good players left on his side of the draw.
The Spaniard is vying to win his third grand slam title this month at the US Open. Alcaraz won in Flushing Meadows 12 months ago to earn his maiden major title and followed that with his triumph at Wimbledon back in July.
After beating Dominik Koepfer in the first round, Alcaraz was then tasked with facing South African Lloyd Harris in his second-round match on Thursday. The 20-year-old won in straight sets and will now face British No.1 Dan Evans in the third round on Saturday.
Alcaraz entered the tournament as the No.1 seed after winning Wimbledon a little over a month ago. His biggest rival, Novak Djokovic, is on the opposite side of the draw and looking to win his 24th grand slam title, but would not be able to face Alcaraz until the final should both players reach that stage.
On Djokovic’s side of the draw, there have already been some big-name exits from the tournament. No.4 seed Holger Rune, No.5 seed Casper Ruud, and No.7 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas have all been eliminated in the opening two rounds in New York.
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Alcaraz has admitted that he has been keeping himself up to date with the scores from across the tournament, as well as those of his next opponents. The 20-year-old says that, despite the early exits of some of the game's biggest stars, the tournament is still anyone’s to win.
"I love watching the matches and following the scores so I know who lost early," said Alcaraz. “I love the Grand Slams. I spend all day checking the scores.
Carlos Alcaraz will face Dan Evans in the third round at the US Open (Frey/TPN/Getty Images)"I was surprised that [Holger] Rune, Ruud and other top players already lost. But this is a Grand Slam. All matches are very tough. This shows how competitive is this tournament is. In terms of ranking, [Novak] Djokovic's draw is open, but there are good players left!"
Should Alcaraz get past Evans in the third round, then he faces the prospect of taking on another British tennis star in the fourth round. The winner of Alcaraz vs Evans will face either Matteo Arnaldi or Cameron Norrie.
Meanwhile, Djokovic will be facing Laslo Djere in his third-round match this week. Should the three-time US Open champion claim victory then he would set up a fourth-round match against either Borno Gojo or Jiri Vesely.
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