Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka was mercilessly thrashed by the third-seeded Spanish player in an 81-minute sweep at Margaret Court Arena, losing 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 to win his maiden Australian Open title.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeated Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, January 15, advancing him one step closer to a career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz defeated his Japanese opponent 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in a lopsided match as he pursued his maiden Australian Open crown. After winning the US Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon twice in the last two years, the 21-year-old’s only unfinished business is the Australian Open.
“The less time you spend on court in the Grand Slams, especially in the beginning, it is going to be better,” claimed Alcaraz, who won Wimbledon and Roland Garros last year, and​​​​​​ has yet to advance past the Melbourne Park quarterfinals.
“Physically I’m feeling great and I was just focused on spending as little time as I can on the court.”
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He is attempting to become Australia’s youngest men’s champion since 2008, when Novak Djokovic took home the first of his ten trophies.
In addition to becoming the youngest person to accomplish a career Grand Slam, Alcaraz’s impressive performance thus far bodes well for the 21-year-old. He defeated the 65th-ranked Nishioka with ease in straight sets in his first-round match.
In the first set, the Japanese player won only two of 16 baseline points and only four points overall because he could hardly get his racquet on the ball.
Alcaraz gets one step closer to the Grand Slam in his career
Alcaraz, ranked third in the world, has been dominating the last two years and was keen to get off to a strong start.
The Spaniard was perfect on Wednesday after defeating Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko in the first round. He dominated the second set after defeating Nishioka in the first set without losing a single game.
At the Margaret Court Arena, he displayed his class by losing his opening match in the second set. Alcaraz was served for the victory when Nishioka, who had fought hard in the third set, was broken in the eleventh game.
Alcaraz advanced to the third round with a flawless serve, and he now hopes to add the Australian Open to his arsenal.
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Alcaraz improved his serve over the off-season and is now using a lighter racquet in Melbourne, and the results are clear. He gave Nishioka little chance in the second set by smashing five aces and winning an impressive 91 per cent of his first-serve points.
 “I’m really happy with the service today. It’s something I worked on in the pre-season,” he said.
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“In the first round, I struggled a bit. But I spent more time yesterday practising my serve, it’s something I want to be better at.
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“I’m really glad that today it worked pretty well and hopefully in the next round it’s going to be better.”
Zheng Qinwen knocked out
Zheng Qinwen, who finished second in the women’s singles at the Australian Open last year, had to make an unexpected exit after being kicked out by Laura Siegemund.
The greatest upset of the tournament thus far occurred when the Chinese star lost in straight sets 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. Siegmund, ranked 97th in the world, is the second-oldest player in the draw.
 However, reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka bounced back from a scare to defeat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain 6-3, 7-5. She defeated the Spaniard by saving 11 break points during the match.
Former world champion Osaka, who won in Australia in 2019 and 2021 but is currently unseeded, came back to overcome Karolina Muchova, the 20th seed. 6-3, 6-1, 1-6.