Alcaraz wins 99th match of his career

If he wins the next round, Carlos Alcaraz will become the second fastest person to reach 100 wins in history, just behind the legendary John McEnroe.

Alcaraz came back strong from last month's Rio Open final defeat, where he strained his hamstring. Playing hard court for the first time since November 2022, the 19-year-old tennis player overwhelmed Kokkinakis in serve games. Alcaraz won four white games in five games delivered in the first set, including the first 15 points in a row.

This match Alcaraz's delivery speed improved with an average speed of 193km/h and a top speed of 214km/h. The second serve percentage of the world number two stood at 88%, outperforming Kokkinakis's 48%. Alcaraz did not lose a serve game all game, winning three of the nine break-points earned.

Emerging from clay but hard courts is where Alcaraz won the most with 48 games. He lost to Rafael Nadal last year in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

"I think I played at a high level that surprised myself," Alcaraz said after the game. "I had to defend a lot of points at Indian Wells but I didn't think too much about it. I just relaxed and enjoyed the game."

Alcaraz will play 31st seed Tallon Griekspoor in the third round. In this bracket, Alcaraz could face Andy Murray in the fourth round, Hubert Hurkacz or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.

The top two seeds right behind Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud, both lost early. After Tsitsipas lost the second round, Ruud lost in the third round to Cristian Garin. The remaining five of the top eight seeds are still standing.