Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his Madrid Open title defense with a convincing win against Alexander Shevchenko.
The world number three, aged 20, cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Kazakhstan’s Shevchenko. Alcaraz dominated the match with his impressive performance, leaving 23-year-old Shevchenko struggling to keep up with his pace and skill.
The Wimbledon champion showcased his dominance throughout the match, asserting control and flair on the court. Despite wearing a compression sleeve on his right forearm, Alcaraz showed no signs of discomfort from the injury that led to his withdrawal from the Barcelona Open last week.
Following his win, Alcaraz mentioned that he felt no discomfort in his arm during the match. However, he admitted that his forehand wasn’t at its best, indicating that he wasn’t feeling entirely confident with that aspect of his game.
“I’m thinking about it, it’s not going to leave my mind,” he said of the injury.
“Coming into this week, I’ve been doing good things in practice, hitting harder, but I’m not feeling comfortable playing my forehand 100%.
“But I think playing at this level, I’m really happy to do it. I still think I can be competitive.”
In the next round, Alcaraz will take on Thiago Seyboth Wild from Brazil.
Meanwhile, in other matches, British player Jack Draper suffered a 6-1, 7-5 defeat against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. Draper, 22, struggled in the beginning and was outplayed by the world number nine, who easily secured the first set.
Despite Draper’s efforts to rally in the second set, a double fault cost him dearly, allowing Hurkacz to close out the match in just 77 minutes. Seventh seed Andrey Rublev advanced to the third round with a straight-set victory over Facundo Bagnis.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev also progressed with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Borna Coric, while Denmark’s Holger Rune secured victory over Mariano Navone.
In the women’s draw, Britain’s Katie Boulter suffered a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to American wildcard Robin Montgomery.
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, battled to a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Poland’s Magda Linette, setting up a third-round clash with Montgomery.
Kazakhstan’s former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina continued her strong form with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Italian Lucia Bronzetti, following her recent triumph at the Stuttgart title.
