Alcaraz powers into Indian Wells 3rd round

Prime seed Carlos Alcaraz powered previous Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday to achieve the third round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters.

The Spaniard, ranked quantity two on this planet, did not face a break level as he launched his bid for a 3rd Masters 1000 title and a return to primary.

He wanted only one hour and 16 minutes to get previous Kokkinakis, ranked 94th on this planet, and line up a gathering with Tallon Griekspoor, the quantity 31 seed from the Netherlands who beat Argentina’s Guido Pella 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4).

Alcaraz, whose US Open triumph final yr noticed him turn into the youngest ever world primary, missed the Australian Open after an belly tear in late 2022 after which a hamstring harm sidelined him for 4 months.

He returned final month to win the title in Buenos Aires earlier than falling within the last at Rio de Janeiro, the place he was once more hindered by a hamstring pressure that prompted him to drag out of the ATP match in Acapulco.

There was no signal of the harm on Saturday, when he dropped only one level on his serve within the opening set.

An early break gave him a 3-0 lead. Kokkinakis started to carry with confidence, however in the long run he had no reply for Alcaraz’s pace and energy.