In a rather short-lived third-round encounter at the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz effortlessly advanced into the fourth round as his opponent, Shang Juncheng, retired due to injury early in the third set. Alcaraz, the tournament's No. 2 seed, was leading with a commanding score of 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when Shang, who had his right thigh heavily strapped from the start, made the decision to call it quits after just 66 minutes of play.
While Alcaraz would have preferred a more competitive match to secure his spot in the next round, he expressed his enthusiasm at reaching the second week of the Australian Open for the first time. Notably, the young tennis star missed out on last year's event due to his own injury. 'Last year I was watching the matches from my couch, wishing to be in the second week,' Alcaraz shared. 'This is my first time in the second week at the Australian Open, and it feels special.'
