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World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(4) in the second round of the 2023 US Open on Thursday, August 31. The match lasted for a little more than two hours, as the 20-year-old cruised through in the end convincingly.
Alcaraz will face Dan Evans of Great Britain in the third round on Saturday. He should be the favorite in that match as well. While Evans is a solid player, Alcaraz's variety and power should prove to be too much for him. The Spaniard is eyeing his third Grand Slam title and second successive US Open title in New York this year.
On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in Alcaraz's win against Harris:
#1. Alcaraz used the backhand slice extensively in the first two sets
Alcaraz used the backhand slice quite often in the first two sets. It was his ploy to take the pace off the ball and thereby not allow Harris to redirect the ball with ease on his next shot. The Spaniard thus managed to pounce on the ball by going around his backhand to play the subsequent shot.
His inside-in and inside-out shots put a lot of pressure on the South African on a regular basis. He also used the drop shot quite a bit to drag Harris into the net and then hit a pass or lob subsequently to win the point.
Alcaraz raced through the first sets, breaking his opponent five times in all in the process. The match was all but over at that point, as the South African was staring at a big defeat already.
#2 Harris fares better in the third set but pays for his weaker second serve
Harris came up with an improved performance in the third set by going toe-to-toe with the Spaniard. Alcaraz still had the booming forehand to stun the South African, but Harris' crosscourt forehand made him stretch towards his right repeatedly. He also used his drop shots occasionally to drag Alcaraz into the net. However, the 20-year-old's swift movement allowed him to get to the ball most of the time.
The third set went into a tie-break, where Alcaraz punished Harris' weaker second serve with thumping returns. He thus managed to win the tie-break and thereby end Harris' resistance. The South African was able to win only 39% of the points on his second serve in the match against Alcaraz, which was one of the decisive factors in his defeat.
