Carlos Alcaraz coasts into Wimbledon third round

NEW DELHI: Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion, advanced to the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday with a decisive 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-2 victory against Aleksandar Vukic from Australia, AFP reported.
Despite a challenging start to the match under the Centre Court roof, the third-seeded Spaniard only conceded four more games after clinching the first set in a tie-break.
Vukic, ranked 69th, had previously defeated Alcaraz in French Open qualifying when the latter was 17 years old. The Australian had the opportunity to take the lead when serving for the first set at 6-5 but faltered at the crucial moment.
Alcaraz, who triumphed over Novak Djokovic in the previous year's Wimbledon final, secured two breaks in both the second and third sets, concluding the match in one hour and 48 minutes.
The young Spaniard is aiming to join an elite group of men, consisting of Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, who have achieved consecutive French Open and Wimbledon titles.
In the next round, Alcaraz will face Frances Tiafoe, the American player he defeated in a thrilling five-set semi-final encounter at the 2022 US Open en route to his maiden Grand Slam victory.