Top seed Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his grasscourt season with a hard-earned 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Australian lucky loser Adam Walton to reach the last 16 of the Queen’s Club Championships on Tuesday.
Having recently won a marathon French Open final against Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz had been idle for more than a week and was given a stiff workout by the world No. 86 Walton, who held set points in the second set. But defending champion the Spaniard battled back to prevail 7-6.
Due to play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Alcaraz was informed after he’d warmed up that Walton would be stepping in as a replacement for his compatriot, who pulled out sick. Despite the late alteration, Alcaraz adapted, relying on his serve-and-volley points and precise drop shots to close out the first set with an ace.
Walton steadied in the second set and thrust the match into a decider at one point, only for Alcaraz to find something extra to save break and set points before wrapping up victory in the breaker.
In other men’s matches, Britain’s Jack Draper coasted to victory over Jenson Brooksby, 6-3, 6-1, and American Ben Shelton lost to French qualifier Arthur Rinderknech. Australia’s Alex de Minaur and fifth-seeded Alexei Popyrin also made exits on a mixed day for seeded players.
