Alcaraz overcomes early stutter to continue bid for career Grand Slam

Carlos Alcaraz overcame an early ‌stutter at the Australian Open to defeat German Yannick Hanfmann ​7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-2 and move into the ⁠third round as he continues his bid for a career Grand Slam ​at Melbourne Park.

After a breezy ​win in the first round against Adam Walton, the 22-year-old ‍Alcaraz was given more of a workout by Hanfmann on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena ‌but he rose to the challenge.

Alcaraz moved up a ​gear to draw level after trailing 1-3, but squandered several opportunities to break Hanfmann's huge ‍serve again before pouncing in the tie-break to wrap up a physically draining opening set in 78 minutes.

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The six-time Grand Slam winner did not ‌let the second set become another ⁠arm-wrestle, relying on his pace and ‌precision to surge ahead and double ‍his advantage in the match.

Hanfmann looked deflated at the start of the third set after receiving medical treatment during the break and a more free-flowing Alcaraz ​showed no mercy as he sealed a double break and then closed out the contest on serve.

Medvedev survives early scare to reach third round

Daniil Medvedev survived an early ‌scare against Frenchman Quentin Halys in the second round of the Australian ​Open on Wednesday but dug deep to record a ⁠6-7 (9-11) 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory.

A three-time finalist at Melbourne Park, Medvedev battled for ​over an hour in the first ​set, only to lose after an intense tiebreak.

The Russian was ‍also broken early in the second set by the world number 83 but regained his composure to ‌level the match.

The 11th seed controlled the baseline exchanges in ‌the third set to convert an early break point and followed it ​up with an aggressive service game.

Medvedev then exploited Halys's weak returns with fierce groundstrokes to secure the ‍win and advance to the third round.

"I feel I was playing much better in Brisbane," said Medvedev, who won the Brisbane International tune-up event. "I still ‌can't get exactly used to the ⁠court here. I feel I am missing ‌a bit of power in my ‍shots.

"But while you continue winning in a tournament, you find it step-by-step.

"It's for the first time in a couple of years I am in a third round of a Grand ​Slam, so feeling good."

Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, will meet Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in the third round.

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