'The nerves came out' - World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz after advancing to last 16 of Miami Open

Carlos Alcaraz (Image credit: Twitter)

World number one Carlos Alcaraz Garfia advanced to the last 16 of the Miami Open with a 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) win over Dusan Lajovic on Sunday, March 26. The 19-year-old will face American professional Tommy Paul in the next round. Alcaraz is the face of the tournament after Rafael Nadal was injured and Novak Djokovic was banned from the US after refusing to take a Covid vaccine.

The Spanish professional outclassed the Serbian without dropping a point in the first set to keep his ‘Sunshine Double’ quest on track. However, Lajovic was able to give a tough competition towards the end of the second set. Alcaraz led 6-2 in the tiebreak, but a sloppy return from him resulted in Lajovic earning the next three points. The Spaniard then held his nerve and settled the 91-minute contest.

Speaking after the match, Alcaraz said the match was never easy even though he felt he was in control. "Everything was under control or I thought it was but, you know, in the match it's never easy," he said.

"The nerves came out. I made a few mistakes that I hadn't done during the whole match. So it was tough to win the match. But I'm really happy with the level that I'm playing and it was a good match," Alcaraz added.

I have to play at my best: Alcaraz

Talking about his next match in the last 16, the winner of eight ATP Tour-level singles said he will have to play his best to beat someone as talented as Paul. The 25-year-old, who advanced to the next round on the back of a 12-match winning streak, had earlier beaten the Spanish players Nadal and Alcaraz in one match last year.

"I lost the first and only match that I played against Tommy. I know that he's a really talented and really tough player, so I have to play at my best and let's see what's going to happen," said Alcaraz.

A large crowd was present on the Hard Rock Stadium court to watch the match on Sunday, including Miami Heat NBA star Jimmy Butler, who embraced Alcaraz after the match.

"I feel great seeing celebrities watching my matches. It's unbelievable. I feel a little bit nervous when I see a person like Jimmy and the celebrities when I was playing in the US Open," Alcaraz said.