Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka have both kept their Australian Open title hopes alive by progressing into the fourth round.
Alcaraz won a 26th Grand Slam hard court match in round two, where the ATP number three beat Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets.
The Spaniard also beat Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets in round one of the Australian Open, but Alcaraz did drop one set in his third round win over Nuno Borges.
WTA number one Sabalenka meanwhile boasts three straight-set triumphs, the latest of which came against Clara Tauson.
She opened proceedings on Day 6 at Rod Laver Arena, with Alcaraz then securing his spot in the next round at the same venue immediately after.
Carlos Alcaraz disagrees with Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open serving claim
And he was tasked with comparing his match with hers, having been told in his post-match press conference about several issues Sabalenka had at Rod Laver Arena, where she has played all of her matches so far.
She said serving was difficult, it was windy, the balls were heavy and the court was very slow, with Alcaraz asked if he agreed and whether or not it was difficult to serve there.
“Well, it was my first match this year,” he said, with his first two matches having come on Margaret Court Arena.
“I don’t know. I didn’t find it tricky to serve, the court. I just felt the same as Margaret Court, for example. I didn’t feel too much different about those two courts.
“Obviously with the wind and everything, you know, the sun came out, and it was the first match I played with the sun out, and it was a lot of heat, and the conditions were a little bit different.
“So I had to see the difference. The ball became a little bit faster with the heat. I am going to say that that was why everything was a little bit trickier than the previous matches.
“But I think it wasn’t because of the court. It wasn’t because of Rod Laver. I just found it like other courts.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open third round serving stats
Alcaraz thinks the Australian Open conditions are fast, with the four-time Grand Slam champion having had little difficulty in Melbourne thus far.
He needed almost three hours to get past Borges, with Sabalenka beating Tauson after two hours and six minutes.
And both stars will undoubtedly be taking a look at their serving figures from their respective matches, in a bid to see where they can still improve as the competition goes on.
| Carlos Alcaraz | Aryna Sabalenka | |
| 9 – 0 – 3 | Aces – Service winners – Double faults | 0 – 0 – 2 |
| 33/106 (31%) | Unreturned serves | 12/70 (17%) |
| 67/109 (61%) | 1st serves in play | 52/72 (72%) |
| 56/67 (84%) | 1st serve points won | 31/52 (60%) |
| 24/42 (57%) | 2nd serve points won | 8/20 (40%) |
| 19 – 0 | Service games (won – lost) | 6 – 5 |
| 208km/h – 179km/h | Fastest serve speed (1st – 2nd) | 172km/h – 154km/h |
| 5/6 (83%) | Serve & volley points won | 0/0 (0%) |
What does Alexander Zverev think of Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena?
Moving in the opposite direction to Alcaraz this week has been Alexander Zverev, with the German having played his third round match at Margaret Court Arena after back-to-back matches at Rod Laver Arena.
The world number two is also into the fourth round after his win over Jacob Fearnley, with Zverev also referencing the tournament conditions in his post-match press conference.
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Asked how his latest display compares to his previous round, he replied: “Different, I would say. Much more difficult conditions to play.
“I feel like in the first few matches were kind of perfect conditions, no wind at all. The second match was basically indoors.
“Obviously very, very different. I think my opponent did a great job of maximising today. Was very aggressive, was returning quite well, and yeah, I’m happy with a straight-set win.”
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