Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz starts title defence in style, downs qualifier Mark Lajal

Carlos Alcaraz (Photo: ATP Tour/ X)

London [UK], July 1 (ANI): Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz had to withstand a free-hitting, aggressive performance from Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal to find a way through in straight sets to ensure his title defence started in excellent fashion at The Championships.

The 21-year-old fought against an aggressive performance from Lajal to register a 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-2 victory at the grass-court major.

"He surprised me a little bit because I had not seen him play too much. He is very young, he is my age. I am sure I am going to see him on the Tour and play him more often. I am really happy to get through and get my first win on Centre Court this year," Alcaraz said as quoted by ATP.

Playing his first game as the defending champion on Centre Court, Alcaraz appeared at ease for extended stretches of time in a setting he remembers well. When he stepped onto the court for his first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter against Lajal last year, the Spaniard, who had defeated Novak Djokovic in five sets to earn his maiden Wimbledon title.

Alcaraz used his feathery drop shot to great use in a two-hour and twenty-two-minute duel. He also showed off some explosive groundstrokes to the crowded crowd, securing a second-round match against either Australian Aleksandar Vukic or Mallorca finalist Sebastian Ofner.

"Stepping onto this court at Wimbledon is the most beautiful court that I have played on. I am still nervous when I play here. I practised for 45 minutes on Thursday and it was the first time I have been nervous in practice and it is because it is for playing here," Alcaraz said.

With his victory at Roland Garros last month, the No. 3 in the ATP Rankings became the youngest player in history to win a major on all three surfaces. Then, at Queen's, Alcaraz defeated Francisco Cerundolo in his first grass-court match of the year before being ousted in the second round by British No. 1 Jack Draper.

However, the Spaniard dispelled any questions about his ability on the grass court against Lajal, striking 43 winners to increase his perfect record to 7-0 against major qualifiers.

On Monday afternoon, Daniil Medvedev arrived back in style at his "happy place" in Wimbledon. In his first-round encounter at the grass-court major, the fifth seed defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. He is hoping to improve on his 2023 semi-final performance. In order to keep his flawless record on the All England Club's No. 1 Court against Kovacevic, ranked No. 88, Medvedev converted four of his eight break points.

"It was a great match, to be honest. The first match is never easy and there were moments in the match when it was not as easy as the score would suggest. So I'm really happy with my level and I've still never lost on Court 1, so hopefully I can play a lot more matches on this court," Medvedev said as quoted by ATP.

"I played maybe nine or 10 matches here [on No. 1 Court] and I've never lost. I said it last year before the semis, it's unfortunate that I have to go to Centre Court, and I lost. This year I got lucky, I managed to practise on Centre before the tournament, so maybe it can give me some edge after, but for the moment I want to play on Court No. 1, enjoy it, and try to win," Medvedev added.

The No. 5 will next play in London against Alexandre Muller, who defeated qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-4, 7-6(2), and 7-6(5). In order to take control of the pair's first-ever Lexus ATP Head2Head match, Medvedev wisely converted the lone break point of the second set. He will aim to handle any difficult situations with the same composure as he did against Kovacevic.

"That's why Grand Slam matches are tough. It's never easy to win in straight sets because you need to win three, rather than two sets. Especially on grass, where serve has such a big impact. He was serving well," the World No. 5 said. (ANI)

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