If Carlos Alcaraz was nervous for his Grand Slam debut in the main draw on Tuesday, he certainly didn’t show it.
Spaniard #NextGenATP played aggressive and composed tennis to dispatch fellow ranked Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the Australian Open.
“I am very happy to have won my first Grand Slam today,” said Alcaraz. “I tried to enjoy it, to play my game. I think I got it. [the match]. I have the experience. I am excited to play my second round. “
Both players were making their main debut, so nerves were to be expected. But Alcaraz, 17, was not bothered by the moment, losing just nine points in the first set. Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé withstood all the storms he faced in court 17 on his way to victory for an hour and 54 minutes.
After two weeks in strict confinement, it would be understandable if the teenager had started out slow in Australia. But last week Alcaraz defeated seed David Goffin at the Great Ocean Road Open, and now he has made his major debut in straight sets.
Van de Zandschulp was also not an easy draw for Alcaraz, although it was also the Dutchman’s debut in Slam. Last week, the 25-year-old defeated Reilly Opelka and pushed Russian Karen Khachanov into the third set in a two-hour, 37-minute match.
But Alcaraz had an answer to each opponent’s blow. In the beginning, Van de Zandschulp made several mistakes and allowed the Spaniard to find a rhythm. But the Dutchman recovered from a break in the second set and his base strength started pushing the player almost a decade younger behind the baseline for the first time in the match.
What stood out most about Alcaraz is that he never showed frustration or panic. After losing his serve for the first – and only – time in the 3-2 match in the second set, the three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion went back in the next game.
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The right 6’1 ”showed a lot of skill, too. At one point, Van de Zandschulp hit a solid overhead. Alcaraz, who was so close to the back wall that he was off the screen, somehow guessed the right direction and crushed a backhand winner on the line.
The 17-year-old hit two more winners than Van de Zandschulp (26-24) and made 21 fewer unforced errors (23-44). The Dutchman made a double foul by breaking decisively in the third set and Alcaraz did not hesitate to take the game, shouting “Come on!” and smiling at his team after winning his triumph.
“I played a very good first set. I think he missed a lot of balls. I tried to stay focused all the time,” said Alcaraz. “The second set was very, very difficult. He played a very good game in the second set. I tried to be relaxed in difficult times.”
Alcaraz was barely within the FedEx Top 500 ATP Rankings at the start of last season. Now at No. 141 in the world, he is advancing to the Top 100. The teenager will face Swede Mikael Ymer, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after three hours and 44 minutes.
Ymer is in the second round of the Australian Open for the second year in a row. The 22-year-old did not make it to the third round in an important tournament.
Did you know?
Alcaraz is the youngest man to win a Grand Slam match since Thanasi Kokkinakis at the 2014 Australian Open.