Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both safely into the third round of the Australian Open, where they have yet to drop a set.
Sinner beat James Duckworth 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in his second round clash, while Alcaraz battled past Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(7-4), 6-3, 6-2.
The Italian, who is the two-time Australian Open defending champion, will now take on Eliot Spizzirri in round three.
And the Spaniard, who is the ATP number one and top seed, will face 32nd seed Corentin Moutet in his third round tie.
Who has been the best player at the Australian Open so far?
Jannik Sinner says Carlos Alcaraz has the best drop shots on the ATP Tour
Intriguingly, Sinner praised his closest rival for one impressive aspect of his game following his latest win in Melbourne.
The Italian was reminded of his post-US Open comments about being less predictable on court, adding elements such as drop shots on his forehand and backhand.
In his on-court interview with Jim Courier, Sinner said of the adjustments: “Yes, drop shots on the backhand side we still have to work on, because some they don’t arrive to the net.
“But we are working on that, we are working on that. I’m trying to learn from this guy there, Simone [Vagnozzi], he has the best hands, even though he lost second round in the One Point Slam.
“But I’m very happy to have him, and obviously Darren [Cahill], they give me a lot of tips. We try to prepare every match in the best possible way and the work never stops.
“I’m happy of course where I am, but we try to keep going, keep pushing and then we see how far we can go.”
When asked who he thinks has the best drop shots on the ATP Tour, he said: “Well I think we all know who has the best drop shots, no?”
And when pressured into naming that player, Sinner replied: “It’s Carlos, of course. But there are some great, great talents.
“Moutet, for example, also my first round opponent [Hugo] Gaston, really, really good. So there are many who are in front in that aspect.”
Who is your favorite ATP player right now?
Jannik Sinner sends touching message to James Duckworth
Sinner was forced into the role of the villain at Rod Laver Arena given that he was playing against an Australian.
But he overcame that aspect and even sent a touching message to his opponent after their meeting, saying: “Every match is very difficult, so I’m very happy to be in the next round.
“I felt like I was returning very, very well today. Also serve was really good today. So I’m very happy about my performance.
“I know he had so many surgeries in his past, and it’s great to see him competing at the highest level, so I wish him only the best for the rest of the season.”
Sinner should be feeling very fresh ahead of his upcoming match, having spent very little time on court so far.
He overcame Duckworth after one hour and 49 minutes, having played just one hour and eight minutes before Gaston retired with illness in round one.
But his next opponent will definitely be fired up, with Spizzirri beating Joao Fonseca in the first round of the Australian Open.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
