TennisAustralian Open Men's Singles -

Carlos Alcaraz overcomes Yannick Hanfmann to advance to third round of Australian Open in style as he seeks career Grand Slam

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz booked his spot in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open with a third-round win over Yannick Hanfmann. Alcaraz was pushed hard by the German in a close first set that lasted 78 minutes. However, after taking the set Alcaraz was able to pull away and secure victory. He faces either Corentin Moutet or qualifier Michael Zheng in the third round.

Watch Alcaraz cruising as he goes two-sets up in second-round clash

Video credit: TNT Sports

Carlos Alcaraz came through a tight first set before pulling away against Yannick Hanfmann to advance to the third round of the 2026 Australian Open.
World No. 1 Alcaraz recovered from 3-1 down to win an opening set that featured several close games and lasted 78 minutes.
From there, Alcaraz managed to assert more authority as he won the second set with a single break and then broke twice in the third.
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"I knew he was going to play great," said Alcaraz.
"I played him a few times already, we came through the Challengers together, but to be honest it was tougher than I thought at the beginning.
"I didn’t feel the ball as good as I wanted but the ball was coming like a bomb, forehand, backhand, serve, so I had to be ready for those shots.
"Really happy to get through a really difficult first set and then I started to feel a little bit better on the court with my shots and tactically I played much better."
Alcaraz faces either Corentin Moutet or qualifier Michael Zheng in the third round as he bids to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open.
He added: "A lot of people watch the rankings and think it will be an easy match but it isn’t.
"Every match is different, the style of the player is different, some players their level suits yours and you feel pretty comfortable, there are others you feel more uncomfortable with and Yannick has a kind of style that I am not really comfortable on the court which is why it wasn’t easy today."
The 78-minute first set was the longest opening set of Alcaraz’s career at a Grand Slam.
Hanfmann gave Alcaraz a stern test and had a chance to win the set at 4-3 up in the tie-breaker.
But Alcaraz reeled off four straight points to take a hard-fought set.
After saving three break points in his first two service games of the match, Alcaraz did not face another until the final game of the contest.
He broke Hanfmann midway through the second set and the German required treatment from the physio after dropping the set.
Hanfmann had four break points in the last game of the match and then saved two match points, but eventually Alcaraz closed out the win.
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Stream every match of the 2026 Australian Open live and on-demand on discovery+

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