MELBOURNE, Australia — Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged that while he won the third-round match, he lost the battle of the drop shots against Corentin Moutet.
That could be a first for the 22-year-old Spaniard, who grew up relentlessly practicing his drop shots and is now at the Australian Open chasing a career Grand Slam.
The left-handed Moutet mixed things up for Alcaraz in an almost festival Friday vibe on Rod Laver Arena, his blend of drop shots, slice, tweeners, half-volleys, angled volleys and even an underarm serve keeping the world’s No. 1-ranked player on his toes.
Tommy Paul, who advanced when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired with an injury after dropping the first two sets 6-1, 6-1.
«We have a great battles against each other,» Alcaraz said. «The matches against each other are always a great level.»
In other men’s matches Friday, Daniil Medvedev rallied from two sets down for a 6-7 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 comeback win over Fabian Marozsan, the fifth time he’s rallied from 0-2 to win a Grand Slam match.
«I was not calm after the first set because I was mad at myself for not doing better. It cost me in the second,» Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion and three-time Australian Open runner-up, said. In the third, «I had to really let it go. Just think about what I need to do.»
He did that, and now he into a rematch with Learner Tien, the American who upset him in a second-round five-setter here last year.
The 25th-seeded Tien advanced to the fourth round again with a 7-6 (9), 6-4, 6-2 win over Nuno Borges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
