Carlos Alcaraz produced an ominous show of strength in his first match at the Australian Open on Tuesday, demolishing French veteran Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 6-2.
The second seed, gunning to unseat 10-time champion Novak Djokovic from the world number one spot, was tested in a tight first set but then moved through the gears.
Alcaraz said it was good to be back in Melbourne, where he has not been beyond the third round in his previous two visits.
“In the first set I struggled a little with his game,” he said. “He was playing great but I played better and better and at the end I reached quite a good level.”
The Spaniard admitted he sometimes tries to play “impossible shots”, including volleys and dropshots, to please his fans.
Clad in a sleeveless yellow T-shirt, the two-time Grand Slam winner squandered nine break point opportunities in the first set but was rarely in trouble on his own serve.
The tie-break was a tight affair but Alcaraz, playing his first match of the season, capitalised on his first set point, hitting a forehand winner at the net.
The Wimbledon champion, who missed last year’s Australian Open through injury, raced through the second set in 30 minutes, breaking Gasquet’s serve twice and showing his full range of shot-making.
It was a similar story in the third set — 37-year-old Gasquet offered occasional glimpses of his rare talent but was given the run-around by a man 17 years his junior.
Alcaraz was briefly held up when serving the match but sealed victory with an ace before thanking the packed crowd at a rapt Rod Laver Arena.
He will next face Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
Zverev beats Koepfer
Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev won his opening match at the Australian Open on Tuesday, a day after being ordered to stand trial later this year in an assault case in Germany.
The sixth-seeded Zverev dropped the first set before rallying to beat fellow German Dominik Koepfer 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in a night match on Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena.
The 26-year-old Zverev is accused of assaulting a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020. He has denied the accusation.
German news agency dpa reported Monday that the trial will start on May 31, which is during the French Open. However, it cited a court spokesperson who said Zverev will not need to make a personal appearance and can be represented by a lawyer.
A court in Berlin issued a penalty order in October ordering Zverev to pay fines amounting to 450,000 euros ($493,000), but the player contested the ruling which meant the case went to trial instead.
Penalty orders are used in Germany as a means of resolving some criminal cases without going to trial, if the suspect does not contest the order.
The men’s tennis tour ruled last January that Zverev would not face disciplinary action, after its own investigation into domestic abuse allegations against him found “insufficient evidence” to substantiate the claims.
Zverev was a finalist at the U.S. Open in 2020, won the men’s singles Olympic gold medal in 2021 and is sixth in the rankings.
He led Germany to victory in the United Cup team tournament in Sydney last week, but said playing a Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne was very different.
Zverev said he was seriously tested by Koepfer and was struggling for rhythm, but added: “You’ve got to focus on yourself, your own shots.”
Comments
0 comment