Gold medal contender Carlos Alcaraz continued his quest for his first ever Olympic medal with a straight-set victory over Roman Safiullin in the third round of the men’s singles tournament.
The No. 2 seed exploded out of the gate to start the match, swiftly winning the first three games of the first set. Safiullin battled back to sweep the fourth game and then captured a close fifth game, narrowing the lead to one. The two traded off between Games 7 and 9, bringing the set to a tight 5-4 score in favor of Alcaraz, who won the last game and captured the first set 6-4.
Alcaraz’s momentum continued in the second set, where he won the first two games. Similarly to set one, Safiullin was able to respond and capture Game 3, and the two traded off the next two games to hand Alcaraz a 4-2 lead. The Spanish star wasted no time closing out the set, fighting off his opponent to secure the second set and win the match.
Ultimately, Safiullin had little answer for Alcaraz’s speed and power, winning just 32 percent of receiving points and committing 23 unforced errors. With the win, the Spaniard will move onto the quarterfinals, the youngest men’s singles player to do so since rival Novak Djokovic at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Alcaraz's performance comes on the heels of an already historic career: the youngest ever world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam singles champion, Alcaraz has his eyes set on becoming just the second player to win the men's singles title at both the French Open and the Olympics in the same year. The only player thus far to accomplish the feat is his countryman and doubles partner, tennis legend Rafael Nadal. The Spanish duo will take to doubles court later Wednesday afternoon.