Alcaraz races through Melbourne return

After two years away from the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz passed an early Richard Gasquet test Tuesday before accelerating onward to a successful return at the hard-court major in Melbourne.

The second-seeded Spaniard kick-started his campaign with a 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-2 triumph against Gasquet. Alcaraz struggled to shake off the former World No. 7 Gasquet in an absorbing opening set but pulled through the tie-break and then barely looked back as he wrapped a two-hour, 22-minute triumph inside Rod Laver Arena.

It's a happy return to the Happy Slam 🤩@carlosalcaraz moves on in Melbourne.@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/BdKyMNSfx5

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 16, 2024

“It’s always great to play here in Australia,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “This is the third time that I’m playing here. I didn’t have a good run the years that I played here, but I enjoyed it a lot and I missed it last year. Today I felt really good, playing here and I enjoyed in front of the crowd.

“I tried to get better. I think in the first set I struggled a little bit with his game and Richard was playing great as well. Every set, I played better and better, and in the end I think I played quite a good level.”

Alcaraz was making his first appearance for the 2024 season as he looks to back up a stellar 2023 during which he lifted six tour-level trophies and constantly battled for the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings with Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard is competing in Melbourne as the World No. 2, but has the opportunity to move ahead of the Serbian into top spot this fortnight.

Despite the ultimately comfortable scoreline against Gasquet, Alcaraz was pushed all the way in the first set by the Frenchman, who showcased some stunning trademark backhand winners to the delight of the night-session crowd. One of them came at 2/3 in the tie-break, which Gasquet went on to lead 5/4 before Alcaraz reeled off three points in a row to move ahead.

From there, Alcaraz stepped up his level. The Spaniard frequently ventured forward and showcased some typically delicate touches at the net as he broke serve twice in each of the second and third sets en route to victory. He finished the match having struck 53 winners to Gasquet’s 19, a reflection of how he overpowered his 37-year-old opponent.

“Obviously, Richard is a great player but I’ve got to say, he’s an even better person,” said Alcaraz of the 16-time ATP Tour titlist Gasquet. “He has a lot of talent, his backhand is crazy. The way that he hit his backhand [today], it was great to play against him.”

Alcaraz, who missed the 2023 Australian Open due to injury, will take on Lorenzo Sonego, a 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-2, 7-6(4) winner against Daniel Evans, in the second round. Having triumphed at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon, the 20-year-old Spaniard bidding to become the third man in the Open Era to win three Grand Slam crowns before the age of 21 after Mats Wilander and Bjorn Borg.