"I didn't want to make the same mistake as last year," says Alcaraz after qualifying for the third round of the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz is through to the third round of the US Open. After his opening win against Reilly Opelka in three sets, the Spaniard confirmed his form against Mattia Bellucci (6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in 1 hour and 36 minutes).

The world number 2 will face another Italian player, Luciano Darderi, for a spot in the round of 16. Eliminated in a surprise upset in the second round last year by Botic van de Zandschulp in New York, Alcaraz has already done better than last year and stated in a press conference that he did not want to relive the same misfortune as last year.

"Today, I played a very solid match. I had set a few goals for myself before the match, and I think I handled them quite well. I still need to improve some things, but overall, I'm very happy.

Mattia (Bellucci) didn't play his best match, but I'm still satisfied to have gotten through this round. I'm playing great tennis tournament after tournament, and I feel I can be at 100% in every match.

Of course, I still have ups and downs. There are matches I don't win or others where I don't feel good, but in any case, I try to survive all these obstacles to give myself another chance in the next round.

I have very good memories of my 2022 title, but to be honest, I remember last year's second-round loss more clearly. When I stepped onto the court, I was still thinking about what happened in 2024.

I was nervous because I didn't want to make the same mistake as last year. It's a more recent event, so that's normal. I just want to improve, and people in general, or even myself, tend to focus more on negative thoughts rather than positive ones.

And sometimes, negative thoughts have more power than positive ones. I try not to keep them in mind for too long, but it does happen sometimes," Alcaraz elaborated to Punto de Break.