Carlos Alcaraz cruises past Tallon Griekspoor and remains unbeaten in sets at the Olympic Games

Carlos Alcaraz overcame Tallon Griekspoor 6-1, 7-6 to advance to the third round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The 4-time Grand Slam champion continues his journey to secure his first Olympic medal with a commanding victory after one hour and 50 minutes on Philippe Chatrier.

They had only met twice before, at Wimbledon 2022 and Indian Wells 2023, with the Spaniard winning on both occasions. The 20-year-old had an excellent first set, but in the second part, Griekspoor showed clear improvements in his game, causing problems for Alcaraz. Nevertheless, the Spaniard secured the victory.

Alcaraz stepped onto the court with the responsibility of being the only Spaniard remaining in the singles draw, following Rafael Nadal’s elimination by Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz took the initiative, breaking serve in the second game of the set and, after a few strong service games, took a 3-0 lead.

Griekspoor struggled with his first serve (just 43%) and only won 25% of the points played on his second serve. On the other hand, Alcaraz maintained over 70% effectiveness on both his first and second serves. The Spaniard capitalized on the Dutchman’s serving issues again in the 6th game, securing a second break that gave him a decisive lead to close the set 6-1.

It seemed like an easy day for the reigning French Open champion, as he was dominant with 9 winners and 5 unforced errors against Griekspoor’s 2 winners and 10 unforced errors.

Griekspoor rallied and attacked Alcaraz in the second set. The world No. 28 improved his first and second serves and showed determination in holding his service games, not conceding any break points. Alcaraz couldn't do much on the return but held his own service games.

With the score at 5-4 in Griekspoor’s favor, Alcaraz took a medical time-out, leaving the court for a few minutes. Upon his return, both players maintained parity until 6-6, leading to a tie-break.

Both players struggled to secure points on serve during the tie-break. Griekspoor managed two mini-breaks, while Alcaraz won four of his opponent’s five service points. The Spaniard secured a significant victory against the Dutchman, who showed a high level in the second set but fell short of forcing a third set.

In the third round, Alcaraz will face Roman Safiulin, who comes in confident after defeating two clay specialists, Alejandro Tabilo (15th seed) and Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The Russian has previously beaten Alcaraz, having won their only prior encounter back at the 2023 Paris Masters.