The Spanish Carlos Alcaraz reached the round of 16 of the Australian Open after the Chinese Juncheng Shang, 18, withdrew due to a right thigh injury, when the score read 6-1, 6-1 and 1- 0, and will face Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the next round.
With the pass to the fourth round, Alcaraz confirmed himself as the twenty-second tennis player to play in the round of 16 in the four majors and became the sixteenth Spaniard to play in the fourth round eight or more times in a ‘major’.
“It’s a complicated question. I’ve been going to Spanish restaurants every day, that’s where I get my strength,” Alcaraz commented with a laugh when asked after the conclusion of the crash if his plan was to go to train or eat at a Spanish restaurant. .
The Rod Laver Arena was almost full after a large number of Chinese fans decided to spend the morning on the main stage of Melbourne Park for the historic opportunity to witness, firstly, the clash between the Chinese Qinwen Zheng and Yafan Wang, and , later, to the young Shang.
Added to these was the presence of an Australian public in love with the cheerful game and personality of the Murcian, who played his fourth match in a Rod Laver Arena that glimpsed his champion’s gestures in that defeat against the Italian Matteo Berretini in five sets, in the 2022 edition.
The flashes of the left-handed Shang in the first game on serve were a mirage against an Alcaraz that only needed his presence for the Asian to begin adding error after error, as a consequence of his physical discomfort.
The shouts of encouragement from the Chinese public did not revive a Shang who could not face the strong shots of Alcaraz, fueled by a wild bounce as a result of an intense heat that touched 30 degrees in temperature in some sections of the clash.
It was the first time that Shang, who played the first two sets with a bandage on his thigh, played a third-round match in a slam on a venue like Rod Laver Arena.
During one of the breaks to change tracks in the second set, most of the audience got up to dance to the famous song YMCA by the Village People and one of the fans, who appeared on the giant screens with great enthusiasm while dancing, caused the laughter of the young man from Murcia, which spread throughout the stadium.
Shang finally decided to throw in the towel when the score read 6-1, 6-1 and 1-0, after one hour and six minutes of play.
“It’s not the way anyone wants to win. I want to wish him a speedy recovery. He’s a great player. I know he really wanted to play this game but unfortunately he wasn’t in the best possible condition,” added Alcaraz, who will have a demanding fourth round against the executioner of Tommy Paul.
Kecmanovic, who has recovered his best level after a timid season in 2023, will arrive with more strength after needing almost four hours to defeat the American and manage to equal his best result in a ‘slam;, which was precisely in Melbourne Park.
He became the second Serbian, after his compatriot Novak Djokovic (1), to reach the round of 16 in Australia on more than one occasion. Alcaraz won the only duel they had in Miami in 2022, by a tight 6-7(5), 6-3 and 7-6(5).
