By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Carlos Alcaraz turned on the style as he raced into the Australian Open fourth round on Friday with a highlight-laden 6-2 6-4 6-1 clinic against France’s own trick-shot maestro Corentin Moutet.
The world number one was in peak form in his 100th Grand Slam match as he racked up 30 winners in just over two hours against the left-handed 32nd seed at Rod Laver Arena.
“It wasn’t easy, to be honest, when you play someone like Corentin. You don’t know what’s going to be next,” Alcaraz said.
“But yeah, I had so much fun there on the court. I think both (of us), we pulled off great points, great shots.”
At 15-0 in the first game of the second set, Alcaraz won arguably the rally of the tournament, chasing down a lob with a cross-court ‘tweener’ from the baseline then rushing forward to retrieve a volley, sending a backhand passing shot down the line.
Though completely dismantled, Moutet never lost his sense of humour throughout the entertaining, if one-sided, encounter.
He danced a jig behind the baseline after lobbing Alcaraz successfully at 4-0 down in the third set, and then bowed theatrically to the crowd when he finally held serve.
It was Alcaraz’s first match against the Frenchman but ended up his 14th win in 14 against lefthanders.
The Spaniard joked that he grew weary of retrieving Moutet’s drop-shots.
“I was tired to go forward to the net. I was looking at the screen… I (saw) I’ve been to the net like 55 times, oh my God.
“I thought we were in a drop-shot competition — but definitely he won.”
Alcaraz, bidding for a first title at Melbourne Park to complete the career Grand Slam, next faces American Tommy Paul for a place in the quarter-finals.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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