Carlos Alcaraz powered into the US Open third round on Wednesday with a commanding 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 win over Italy’s Mattia Bellucci.

The five-time Grand Slam champion proved much too strong for world number 65 Bellucci as he set up a last-32 tie with another Italian, Luciano Darderi.

“I played great to be honest from the beginning until the last ball,” said Alcaraz.

“I know his (Bellucci’s) level. Today wasn’t his day and I tried to make the most of his mistakes.”

“In general I’m just really happy with the performance,” he added. “The less time I spend on court the better for me.”

Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion, suffered a shock second-round loss at last year’s tournament but any prospect of a repeat letdown was quickly dismissed by the Spanish second seed.

He won the first five ga

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