World number two Carlos Alcaraz made his Australian Open debut with a convincing three-set victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet (131st in the ATP rankings), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 6-2.
The resistance of Gasquet, who was once one of the great promises of French tennis, lasted one hour and 13 minutes, the time it took the 20-year-old Spaniard to take the first set in the tie-break.
After losing the first set, the Frenchman surrendered and barely put up any resistance to an Alcaraz who gave a good level despite the fact that it was his first official match of the season.
The Murcian tennis player, who is looking for his first title in Australia in Melbourne, which would be his third Grand Slam after the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon in 2023, took almost as long to close out the match as the first set lasted.
In the second round, Alcaraz will face India's Sumit Nagal, who beat Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik (No. 31) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).
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