Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have made smooth starts to their Australian Open campaigns, reaching the third round without dropping a set.
Sinner cruised past James Duckworth 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, while Alcaraz worked through a bit of resistance from Yannick Hanfmann before taking it 7-6(7-4), 6-3, 6-2.
The Italian, the reigning champion in Melbourne, will face Eliot Spizzirri next in the third round.
On the other hand, the Spaniard – the world number one and top seed – will go up against Corentin Moutet, who is seeded 32nd.
Jannik Sinner says Carlos Alcaraz has the best drop shots on the ATP Tour
Sinner gave credit to his main rival after his latest win in Melbourne, highlighting a specific part of Alcaraz’s game that stands out.
After the US Open, the Italian star spoke about adding more variety to his game, including drop shots from both sides of the court. Now, those comments were brought back.
Speaking to Jim Courier after his match, Sinner said: “Yes, drop shots on the backhand side we still have to work on, because some they don’t arrive to the net.
“But we are working on that, we are working on that. I’m trying to learn from this guy there, Simone [Vagnozzi], he has the best hands, even though he lost second round in the One Point Slam.
“But I’m very happy to have him, and obviously Darren [Cahill], they give me a lot of tips. We try to prepare every match in the best possible way and the work never stops.
“I’m happy of course where I am, but we try to keep going, keep pushing and then we see how far we can go.”
He then weighed in on who he believes executes the most effective drop shots on the tour: “Well I think we all know who has got it already. It’s Carlos of course. But there are some great great talents.
“Moutet, for example, also my first round opponent [Hugo] Gaston, really, really good. So there are many who are in front in that aspect.”
Jannik Sinner wishes James Duckworth well after his latest victory
Sinner found himself in the unusual position of being cast as the villain inside Rod Laver Arena, given he was facing an Australian.
Despite that, he got through it and later took a moment to acknowledge his opponent, saying: “Every match is very difficult, so I’m very happy to be in the next round.
“I felt like I was returning very, very well today. Also serve was really good today. So I’m very happy about my performance.
“I know he had so many surgeries in his past, and it’s great to see him competing at the highest level, so I wish him only the best for the rest of the season.”
Sinner should be feeling fresh going into his next match, as he has not spent much time on court yet this tournament.
His win over Duckworth took just one hour and 49 minutes. Before that, he played only one hour and eight minutes before Hugo Gaston retired due to illness in round one.
Sinner’s next opponent will be fired up though. Spizzirri beat Joao Fonseca in their opening round clash at Melbourne Park.
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