Alcaraz races into Round 3 at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz extended his winning streak at Wimbledon to nine matches on Wednesday when he recovered from an early dip to record a comfortable straight-sets victory against Australian Aleksandar Vukic.

From 5-2 up in the first set, the third seed briefly lost his way to trail 5-6. However, with the pressure on, Alcaraz quickly broke back to force a tie-break and from there it was one-way traffic, with the Spaniard advancing 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2.

"I am really happy about my performance," Alcaraz said. "I think the first set was the key. He served for the set and I broke and after I played a really good tie-break. I played a really high level in the second and third sets, so I am really happy about it."

Defending champ in the mood 🚀@carlosalcaraz knocks out Vukic 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UAe376xtTz

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 3, 2024

In 2020, World No. 69 Vukic defeated a then-17-year-old Alcaraz in qualifying at Roland Garros. Nearly four years on and the task at hand was a whole lot harder for the Australian on the lawns of Wimbledon, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.

The 21-year-old is now a three-time major titlist and played like one for large periods of his one-hour, 48-minute, second-round win against Vukic. Alcaraz used his feathered drop shot to great effect to cause the Australian to scramble around the court, while he struck his forehand fiercely to overpower Vukic in the baseline exchanges under the roof on No. 1 Court.

Alcaraz, who struck 40 winners in his victory, is into the third round at Wimbledon for the third consecutive year. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion will continue the quest for his third trophy of the season when he meets Frances Tiafoe in the third round.

"We played a brilliant match at the US Open," Alcaraz said when asked about Tiafoe. "I know he is a really talented player and it will be tough on here on grass. Good serve, good volley. It will be a difficult match for me but I am ready for that challenge."

The American, who lost to Alcaraz in five sets in the US Open semi-finals in 2022, downed Croatian Borna Coric 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-3 to earn consecutive wins at a tour-level event for just the third time this season.