Reigning US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz continued his title defense with a third-round win against Daniel Evans. Alcaraz defeated Evans 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16 stage of the 2023 US Open.

US Open 2023: Full Coverage

With this win, Alcaraz booked his spot in the fourth round of the US Open for a third consecutive year. Alcaraz had to be at his gritty best as the Spaniard came out on top after a three-hour 10-minute contest.

Speaking after the match, Alcaraz called Evans a tricky opponent, adding that he is really happy to be playing in the fourth round of the US Open once again.

“He’s a tricky opponent. He always wants to go to the net. Great slices, good touch. I think this is my game as well, so we played a pretty good match. I think the people loved that. We made great points, great shots, a lot of different situations probably than in other matches. I’m really happy to get through and play the fourth round again in the US Open,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview.

Alcaraz had received a walkover mid-match against Dominik Koepfer of Germany in the first round. He then went on to beat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris in straight sets in the second round.

The 20-year-old will now face Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in the last-16 stage after he defeated Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in straight sets on Saturday.

Norrie crashes out

Norrie succumbed to a straight sets defeat at the hands of Arnaldi at Court 17 in the ongoing 2023 US Open. Arnaldi downed the Brit 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the third round.

Arnaldi, ranked number 61 in the world, is making his first main-draw appearance at Flushing Meadows. The win against Norrie takes him to his first-ever fourth round appearance in any Grand Slam. In fact, this year’s US Open is just the third major the Italian has ever played.