Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his hunt for a first Australian Open title with a gritty victory in straight sets against home favourite Adam Walton on Sunday, thus keeping his Career Grand Slam dream alive.
The world number one prevailed over a determined Australian to record a 6–3, 7–6(2), 6–2 win on Rod Laver Arena. He also served eight aces and hit 38 winners, thereby setting up a second-round clash with Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann. Alcaraz was hardly perfect, however, as he committed 36 unforced errors while Walton, who is 81st in the world, kept challenging him throughout.
Alcaraz revealed that he was mainly happy just to be playing again, as he had only played a single exhibition match leading up to the tournament. He also commended Walton’s display and admitted it was tough to handle the Aussie’s flat groundstrokes and good baseline game.
The Spaniard took the majority of the first set on his terms, but he had to fight hard in the second when Walton, up 3–1 at one point, also went on to force a tiebreak. Alcaraz stepped up when it was crucial, completely winning the breaker and then he used the third set to consolidate his lead.
Alcaraz, who is already a six-time Grand Slam winner at just 22, is on a historical course in Melbourne, a venue where he has never advanced past the quarter-finals.
