Carlos Alcaraz commenced his grass-court season with a hard-fought victory over Adam Walton at the Queen's Club Championships on Tuesday, marking his return to competitive tennis following his recent French Open triumph. The world No. 2 overcame the spirited Australian lucky loser with a score of 6-4, 7-6(4) to advance to the last 16 of the tournament.
Alcaraz, who had taken a brief nine-day break after his Roland Garros victory, displayed resilience against Walton, who stepped in for the injured Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Despite the relatively short turnaround, Alcaraz extended his winning streak to 13 matches. He exhibited his prowess on grass, improving his lifetime record on the surface to 25-3. Alcaraz aims to secure his third consecutive title at Wimbledon.
"Honestly, it feels like it has been more than nine days,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. "Just nine days – it's a little bit crazy to start the competition again. I feel great, super happy to be back on grass.” He further expressed his gratitude to the crowd for their warm welcome, saying he felt at home in London.
The match saw Alcaraz firing 34 winners and 10 aces, while impressively not surrendering any break points. Despite his strong performance, Alcaraz faced a tense moment in the second set when Walton had two set points at 5-4. However, the Spaniard managed to fend off the danger with a well-placed serve and a fortunate return that landed just outside the line.
Alcaraz's ability to elevate his game in crucial moments was evident as he secured the only break point in the tie-break at 4/4 with a well-executed drop shot. He then sealed the victory with a powerful forehand winner on his first match point. The match lasted an hour and 44 minutes.
Looking ahead, the 22-year-old Alcaraz is set to face Jaume Munar in the next round. Munar advanced after his opponent, Jordan Thompson, retired during their first-round match.
In other matches at Queen's Club, sixth-seeded Ben Shelton suffered an upset defeat to French lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech, while Jack Draper cruised to victory against Jenson Brooksby.
