Carlos Alcaraz overcame an early stutter at the Australian Open to defeat German Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday and move into the third round as he continues his bid for a career grand slam at Melbourne Park.
After a breezy win in the first round against Adam Walton, the 22-year-old was given more of a workout by Hanfmann on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena but he rose to the challenge and booked a clash with either Michael Zheng or Corentin Moutet.
Alcaraz moved up a gear to draw level after trailing 1-3, but squandered several opportunities to break Hanfmann's huge serve again before pouncing in the tiebreak to wrap up a physically draining opening set in 78 minutes.
The six-times major winner did not let the second set become another arm-wrestle, relying on his pace and precision to surge ahead and double his advantage in the match.
Hanfmann looked deflated at the start of the third set after receiving medical treatment during the break and a more free-flowing Alcaraz showed no mercy as he sealed a double break and then closed out the contest on serve.
Last year's finalist Alexander Zverev reached the third round by defeating Alexandre Muller 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4, negotiating a plucky opponent, a rain delay and an injury scare to continue his bid for a first Grand Slam.
After cruising through the opening set and surrendering the next, Zverev gained a foothold in the see-sawing third set when he grabbed a 4-2 lead but a sudden spell of rain halted play on John Cain Arena and threatened to disrupt the German's rhythm.
With the roof closed and the court towelled dry during a near 40-minute break, the third seed got back to work and barely skipped a beat on serve as he comfortably closed out the set to regain control of the contest.
Alexander Bublik continued his tremendous form as the 10th seed picked up a straightforward 7-5 6-4 7-5 victory over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, extending his winning streak to six matches in 2026.
Daniil Medvedev lost the first set in an intense tiebreaker against Frenchman Quentin Halys but the three-times Melbourne Park finalist hit back to score a 6-7(9) 6-3 6-4 6-2 win.
