On the American Labour Day holiday, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has wasted little time in blowing past Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-3 6-3 6-4 to reach the US Open quarter-finals.
Through the first week of the season's final Grand Slam, the world No.1 has put in routine shifts and has dropped only one set, en route to the last eight.
The second week is the business end of a Grand Slam, when the draw thins and serious contenders surface.
In Alcaraz's rearview mirror are relative unknowns like Arnaldi and Dominik Koepfer, but ahead of him lurk familiar danger men, such as Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev.
Alcaraz, 20, has not shown his best yet on the New York hardcourts, but like a hot Wall Street stock, he's trending in the right direction.
There have been a few hiccups and lapses, but the his raw talent, power and a repertoire of weapons make him the man to beat, and on track for another showdown with archrival Novak Djokovic.
Under a closed roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz was solid from start, against a man playing in the Flushing Meadows main draw for the first time.
Spaniard Alcaraz took a few games to size up his opponent, but once he did, it was pretty much oneway traffic.
Alcaraz took charge with a break for a 4-2 lead in the first set and then broke again at the start of the second to find himself 2-0 up.
The feisty Italian had his moment in the third set, breaking Alcaraz at 2-1, but the Spaniard immediately broke back and then again to seal victory.
He will next face either Italian sixth seed Sinner or 12th -seeded German Alexander Zverev.
Reuters
