Alcaraz shakes off cobwebs to ease past Vukic

London — Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz made a shaky start against unseeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic but moved through the gears to seal a 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2 victory and power into the third round on Wednesday.

The result extended Alcaraz’s winning run at the grass court Grand Slam to nine matches but the Spaniard could face a tricky test in his next match against American 29th seed Frances Tiafoe who beat Borna Coric 7-6(5) 6-1 6-3.

Third seed Alcaraz broke for a 4-2 lead as Vukic miscued an overhead smash at the net but the Spaniard handed the advantage back to his 69th-ranked opponent three games later and was broken yet again in the opening set to trail 5-6.

He recovered to force a tiebreak, where he took a healthy 5-1 lead, but allowed Vukic to win three straight points only to raise his level again and take the set as Spanish fans breathed a sigh of relief on Court One.

From there, it was a ruthless performance from Alcaraz as the 21-year-old showcased his explosive power and delicate touch as he racked up 40 winners to blow Vukic away.

“I’m really happy about my performance. The first set was the key for me. He served for the set, then I played a really good tiebreak. In the second set and third set, I played at a really high level. I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz said.

“It was difficult for me to close the [first] set. I knew it was going to be the same. I had to be there. I put a few returns in, a few winners. It was a good game for me on the return side.

“In those situations, you have to increase your level, put the early ball in, try to be aggressive with your style. That’s all I thought about in that situation and it was helpful.”

The French Open champion, who is bidding for a fourth Grand Slam title, did not give Vukic any more opportunities and closed out the second set quickly before easing through the third and finishing the match with a flurry of aces.

Coco Gauff did not look at her imperious best under the roof on Court One, but she was always in control of an error-strewn second-round 6-2 6-1 victory over Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni.

The US Open champion slipped and fell twice on the slick court and muttered to herself during the 1hr 6min match against an opponent ranked 140 places below her.

Second seed Gauff, a crowd favourite at Wimbledon after announcing her arrival on the big stage with a fourth-round run as a 15-year-old five years ago, produced 16 unforced errors in the short match and managed to land only 43% of her first serves.

But her nervous opponent, at 19 six months Gauff’s junior, hit 23 unforced errors and could not find her range against the American, who wrapped up the match with a drop shot that Todoni could only send wide. 

Reuters