Australian Open: Alcaraz advances to round of 16 after defeating Moutet in a talent showcase

An imposing Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his 100th Grand Slam match with a comfortable victory. The Spanish tennis player qualified on Friday for the round of 16 of the Australian Open after defeating Frenchman Corentin Moutet in straight sets.

The 22-year-old, winner of six Grand Slam titles, showed he was on another level at Rod Laver Arena and qualified 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 in 2 hours and 5 minutes, according to AFP.

Although he didn’t make qualification overly difficult for Alcaraz, Moutet produced several exhibition-worthy points that turned the match into a duel between artists, beyond the result. So much so that even Carlitos himself said he enjoyed the crossing: “It’s not easy to play against someone like him because you never know what’s coming next. I had fun on the court, we both like good shots. There were some very good moments. I’m happy to play against him — it won’t be the last time.”

“I’ve never had so many drop shots played against me. There was a moment when I told my team I wasn’t going to run for another one. I got tired of running to the net so much,” he said about the Frenchman’s drop shots. “It was complicated, it felt like a drop-shot contest. He definitely won that.”

The win puts him in contention for a quarterfinal berth against American Tommy Paul, seeded No. 19, who advanced to the quarterfinals after Spanish rival Alejandro Davidovich Fokina withdrew due to injury.

Alcaraz is already preparing for his next game. In the meantime, he already has something to celebrate: in his 100th Grand Slam match, with a remarkable record of 87 wins and 13 losses, he equaled the legendary Bjorn Borg at the same stage of his career.