Alcaraz Soars On In Miami
Carlos Alcaraz continued his ‘Sunshine Double’ quest in style Sunday, overcoming Dusan Lajovic 6-0, 7-6(5) to reach the fourth round at the Miami Open presented by Itau.
Arriving off his title run in Indian Wells, the World No. 1 has quickly adapted to the faster conditions in Miami, where he is the defending champion. In a high-quality performance, the top seed overpowered Lajovic with his relentless aggression on return and he demonstrated incredible agility to cover the court and repel attacks from the Serbian.
The Spaniard, who hit 27 winners to Lajovic's eight, recovered from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set against Lajovic, recomposing himself to seal his eighth consecutive straight-sets win on his fourth match point in one hour and 31 minutes.
"I feel fast on court, I am moving well," said Alcaraz, who is now 16-1 on the season. "I am happy with the variety I am playing [with]. Lots of shots. I am enjoying every single second out there."
The 19-year-old needs to lift his fourth ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Miami to prevent Novak Djokovic from replacing him as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He will continue his title defence against Tommy Paul.
Making his third appearance in South Florida, Alcaraz holds fond memories at the hard-court event. He defeated Casper Ruud in last year’s final, dropping just one set en route to the trophy.
Paul reached the fourth round in Miami for the first time with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The American, currently No. 18 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, has enjoyed an impressive season, highlighted by his run to the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January.
Did You Know?
The 19-year-old Alcaraz will become the youngest man to win the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ with another title run in Miami. Roger Federer was the last man to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ in 2017.