Summary of this article
Carlos Alcaraz won 6-1 6-0 6-3 against Mattia Bellucci
Ben Shelton defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-2 6-4
11th seed Holger Rune lost 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-3 4-6 7-5 to Jan-Lennard Struff
Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton both cruised into the third round of the US Open with straight-set wins on Wednesday, but Holger Rune suffered an early exit.
Alcaraz, who won his first grand slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, beat Mattia Bellucci 6-1 6-0 6-3 in just one hour and 38 minutes.
The Spaniard fell in round two at last year's event against Botic van de Zandschulp, but he ensured there would be no repeat with a near-faultless performance this time around.
Alcaraz conceded last year's early exit had played on his mind ahead of his second-round win, which booked a meeting with another Italian, Luciano Darderi, for round three.
"If I'm honest, I thought about last year when I stepped on the court. Some bad thoughts," Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference.
"I was nervous about it, thinking, 'Okay, I don't want to do the same thing as I did last year.'"
Alcaraz will be joined in round three by Shelton, who is also yet to drop a set at the tournament following a 6-4 6-2 6-4 win over Pablo Carreno Busta.
Shelton will face Alcaraz in the quarter-finals if both players make it that far, with Adrian Mannarino the next obstacle facing the home hope.
Eleventh seed Rune, however, is out following a dramatic 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-3 4-6 7-5 defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff.
Struff will face Frances Tiafoe, who was a beaten semi-finalist at last year's US Open, in the third round, after the American overcame Martin Damm 6-4 7-5 6-7 (10-8) 7-5.
Data Debrief: Alcaraz into top five
Alcaraz now boasts a win rate of 85.9% in men's singles matches at grand slams, with 79 wins and 13 defeats in his career.
That means he has surpassed Rod Laver (85.7%, 60-10) to go fifth in the outright charts for the best win rate at majors, among all men to log at least 10 matches.
