Carlos Alcaraz wins in straight sets to ease into US Open third round

By Thomas Schlachter, CNN

(CNN) — World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz beat Lloyd Harris in the US Open second round to progress to round three at Flushing Meadows.

Alcaraz beat his opponent in straight sets, winning 6-3 6-1 7-6 (7-4) in two hours and 28 minutes for essentially his first victory of the championship after his first-round opponent had retired injured.

The 20-year-old is considered by many to be the tournament frontrunner on the men’s side of the draw and though he made 29 unforced errors against Harris, the Spaniard was happy with his performance.

“I played a great match from the beginning of the match until the last ball,” he said after the match, per the ATP.

“If I have to pick out something I think I played a good second set without many mistakes and playing my game.”

However, as ever with elite competitors at this level, he believed there was room for improvement.

The third set was a much tighter affair, with Harris posing a greater threat.

But after the set went the distance, Alcaraz eventually won the tiebreak to wrap up the match.

“I did have a bad game in the third set when I got broken and I had to forget it,” Alcaraz said. “I stayed strong mentally and played a great return game to break back. It was very important for me to get another straight-sets win in the first rounds.”

Alcaraz will next face British player Dan Evans.

Evans came back from a set down to beat Botic van de Zandschulp 1-6 6-1 6-3 6-3. While the Briton will be the underdog against Alcaraz, his comeback win will give him some confidence of producing a shock.

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