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World No. 39 Dusan Lajovic was full of priase for rising Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz following their match at the Australian Open. Lajovic, a former world No. 23, stood no chance against Alcaraz as the Spaniard claimed a 6-2 6-1 7-5 win to progress into the third round at Melbourne Park.
"The bright future is ahead of him. A really good player -- he plays fast, he is everywhere, he knows how to attack, to go to the net, to change the direction of the ball... He can be dangerous on all surfaces," Lajovic told Sport Klub.
Lajovic certainly wasn't surprised by the level Alcaraz showed because he spoke extremely highly of the 18-year-old before the match. "Great mover, solid off both wings, likes to hit forehand from the backhand side as well.
Reminds me of Rafa a bit. He will contend for the biggest title soon," Lajovic said of Alcaraz before the match.
Lajovic had his chances in the third set
Alcaraz, ranked at No. 31 in the world, got off to a fast start to the match as he broke Lajovic twice to comfortably win the opener.
The two players were tied at one game apiece in the second set before Alcaraz claimed back-to-back breaks to win five games in a row and go up by two sets. After losing the first two sets, Lajovic earned his first break of the match in the sixth game.
Unfortunately for Lajovic, he failed to hold onto his serve as Alcaraz claimed breaks in the seventh and 11th game to overturn the deficit and escape with a straight-set win. Lajovic was supported by the Serbian fans, who also showed supported for the deported Novak Djokovic.
"I think the way they treated him was terribly wrong, the decision itself was terribly wrong and also the reason why they did it was terribly wrong. Based on an idea.. It’s not the right way," Lajovic said of Djokovic's visa cancelation.