Carlos Alcaraz ousted from Australian Open

19-year-old's Roland Garros title defense comes to an abrupt end

MELBOURNE, Australia — Carlos Alcaraz's bid for a third Grand Slam title came to a disappointing end on Thursday as he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the second round of the Australian Open. The 19-year-old Spaniard, who won the US Open last year and the French Open in 2022, was unable to match his opponent's power and consistency in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 defeat.

Alcaraz, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, had been considered one of the favorites for the Australian Open title. However, he was clearly not at his best against Zverev, who is a former world No. 2 and a two-time Grand Slam champion.

Alcaraz's defeat marks a disappointing end to his Australian Open campaign. However, the Spaniard is still only 19 years old and has plenty of time to add to his Grand Slam tally. He will now turn his attention to the upcoming clay-court season, where he will be hoping to defend his French Open title.

In a post-match press conference, Alcaraz said that he was disappointed with his performance but that he would learn from the experience. "I didn't play my best tennis today," he said. "But I'm still young and I'm learning. I'll take this experience and use it to improve my game."