Carlos Alcaraz text message warning emerges as US Open opponent was caught out

Mattia Bellucci was warned of Carlos Alcaraz's supreme talent before their first on-court meeting, as he was once again reminded of the Spaniard's brilliance five years on. The 24-year-old was handed the challenging task of facing Alcaraz in the second round of the US Open on Thursday.

Despite a spirited effort by the Italian star, he was easily dispatched by the five-time Grand Slam champion, who earned a 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 victory to book his place in the third round against Luciano Darderi. Alcaraz - who won his first major at Flushing Meadows in 2022 - has previous with Bellucci, having come up against him in the ITF tournament at Rafa Nadal's Academy in 2020. A then-18-year-old Bellucci would clash with Alcaraz, who was 16 at the time, for the first time ever. Despite the Spaniard's tender age, he'd already made waves in the tennis world, which Bellucci soon found out thanks to a text message warning from his friend.

Speaking to ATPTour.com this month, the world No. 65 revealed: "A friend sent me a text message saying, 'This guy is going to be very, very good.' I replied, 'I don't know this guy,' because he was two years younger than me and I hadn't played much in the juniors.

"So at the time, I didn't know his name. He was 16 and I was 18. I went on court and played the first three games, and I thought to myself, 'I may not win, but I can at least be competitive.' Then I lost. It was a very difficult match, and I didn't expect it, but now I know him better!"

After besting the Italian, a teenage Alcaraz went on to win the title with a dominating 6-0, 6-2 victory over Evan Furness in the final. It took just 65 minutes for Alcaraz to beat the Frenchman in a tournament where he gave up just one set. He's certainly lived up to the expectations placed upon him since his performances in Mallorca five years ago.

On top of his five major titles, he also became the youngest man and the first male teenager in the Open Era to claim the world No. 1 ranking in 2022. Set to compete in the third round of the US Open on Friday, Alcaraz has already surpassed his performance in New York last year where he was surprisingly bounced out of the second round after losingin straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp.

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Alcaraz admitted that the defeat, albeit disappointing, allowed him to improve as a player as he said after his win over Bellucci: "Well, right now it's a good view, and I think it was really helpful for me. Back at that time, it wasn't the worst thing I have ever done, if I'm honest.

"But yeah, looking back, I wanted just to improve from the experience that I have lived. I think when I lost in the second round, you know, last year, was one of those moments when I learned a lot how to deal with some situations, how should I have done things much better. I think I've just done it this year much, much better. So it was a great experience that I learned a lot from."