Carlos Alcaraz Dominates Australian Open Match After Golfing With Roger Federer

Carlos Alcaraz’s preparations for his second-round victory at the Australian Open included a round of golf in Melbourne with Roger Federer, whose abilities off the tee he praised following a 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 win over Yannick Hanfmann. “It’s as beautiful as his tennis,” Alcaraz said of Federer’s golf swing. “I’m not surprised. It’s unbelievable. Everything he does, he does in style, really beautiful. On the golf course, it’s a really beautiful swing.” Alcaraz has become a golf obsessive in recent years, with the Spaniard frequently playing a round during tournaments to unwind between matches. “I think he has been playing for two years now and his level is really good,” Alcaraz said of the Swiss tennis great who won 20 slams, including eight Wimbledon titles. “I’ve been playing five and he’s already beating me. It hurts.” On court, Alcaraz continued to build momentum in Melbourne as he escaped a tight first-set tie-break before easing to victory in his second match of his 2026 season to reach the third round. The 22-year-old world No 1 will next face Corentin Moutet, the 32nd seed, as he attempts to become the youngest male player to win a career slam. Cameron Norrie is the last British player standing in Melbourne after the 26th seed continued his excellent grand slam form by holding his nerve to close out a tight 6-1, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) win over Emilio Nava of the United States. In a tight fourth set, Norrie had established a 4-3 lead in the fourth set tie-break when, out of nowhere, heavy rain stopped play. An hour later, Norrie returned to close out the tie-break and reach round three. “I was just laughing to myself,” he said. “Actually felt so relaxed when I came out afterwards. It was quite tough for the fans. There was a lot of atmosphere building and it was completely packed. It felt like everyone was on top of the court yelling. It was a shame that the match couldn’t have finished there with all the atmosphere building. But I managed to come back, serve well, and tough out one rally. That was enough.” Norrie will next face Alexander Zverev, the third seed and last year’s finalist, after he advanced 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Alexandre Müller of France. “So excited,” he said. “He’s one of the most consistent players on the tour. I think he loves playing me. “Every time we play we have such high-level matches. He always beats me. The last maybe four or five times. We always have close sets, close matches. I played him in the fourth round here, lost 7-6 in the fifth before. But he’s one of the best competitors out there. I’m excited. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling my game good.” In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff continued to move confidently through the draw as she reached the third round with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over Olga Danilovic. Aryna Sabalenka, the world No1, fought off a brief first-set comeback from her Chinese opponent Bai Zhuoxuan to win 6-3, 6-1.