The second set was a duplicate of the primary. When it was accomplished, Alcaraz had hit 32 winners to Kecmanovic’s 10, a deficit that was wanting deadly for the Serb.
Once more, it was not that he was enjoying at a poor stage, however that that Alcaraz was enjoying at supreme stage. That made for a fascinating contest even because it remained one-sided.
The pair typically performed on such angles it was as if the web had been arrange transversely.
Alcaraz had one other trick: having simply run down a Kecmanonvic drop shot, he paused as if weighing up which approach to hit it.
Kecmanonvic second-guessed him, however Alcaraz made the following shot a winner anyway. They each smiled. It was all Kecmaniovic might do, and it’s what Alcaraz does anyway.
Carlos Alcaraz.Credit score: AP
The third was the identical, however extra so.
Relaxed, Alcaraz reached deeper into his bag of methods, not as a result of he needed to, however as a result of he might. Eleven extra clear winners made 43 for the match. That’s to set in opposition to merely 19 unforced errors, an astonishing ratio in a class that usually 1:1.
Once more, Kecmanonovic didn’t do a lot improper. He made solely seven unforced errors within the third set – and misplaced it to luv.
The group’s applause for him at match’s finish was not patronising. He’d performed nicely – however he’d performed Carlos Alcaraz.