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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (PR) Lloyd Harris
Date: August 31, 2023
Tournament: US Open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $65,000,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky Sports | India - Sony Sports
Carlos Alcaraz vs Lloyd Harris preview
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will play against Lloyd Harris in the second round of the 2023 US Open on Thursday.
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Alcaraz kicked off his title defense against Dominik Koepfer. Only a few points into the match, the latter suffered an ankle injury. Despite being in pain, he continued to play, but the Spaniard proved to be too strong for him.
Alcaraz broke the German's serve twice to capture the first set. He led 3-2 in the second set, when Koepfer finally decided to call it quits, thus sending the World No. 1 into the next round with a score of 6-2, 3-2, ret.
Harris faced Guido Pella in the first round. Neither player managed to secure a break of serve in the opening set, which then went into a tie-break. The South African managed to get the upper hand in it to bag the set.
The next two sets played out in similar fashion. Harris snagged an early break at the start of each set, an advantage which he never surrendered to win the match 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Lloyd Harris odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Lloyd Harris prediction
Alcaraz didn't really get a chance to test himself as his job was made a lot easier due to the regrettable injury sustained by Koepfer. Harris, on the other hand, gave a good account of himself in the first round.
The South African rained down 26 aces and won 80% of his first serve points. He also blasted 45 winners in contrast to 28 unforced errors. While Harris has struggled to get going since his return to the tour earlier this year, this was easily his best match in a long time.
Should Harris continue to play at this level, he could make things tricky for Alcaraz. The defending champion does occasionally struggle against big servers like the 26-year old. The Spaniard could find himself on the backfoot should his opponent start playing some fast-paced tennis from the baseline.
However, Harris lacks the consistency to sustain a high level required to challenge a player of Alcaraz's caliber. The World No. 1 is a capable problem solver on the court, so even if he finds himself in troubled waters, he should be able to navigate them to sail into the next round.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
