Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his quest for a second consecutive Wimbledon title with a tricky opening win over Mark Lajal.
The 21-year-old withstood some stern resistance from the Estonian world No.269 before fighting his way to a 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-2, victory in what is only his 12th main draw win at the All England Club. He has extended his perfect record over qualifiers to 7-0. In his latest match, he hit 44 winners against 28 unforced errors.
“Stepping on this court, Centre Court of Wimbledon … I still get nerves when I’m playing here,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview. “I practiced 45 minutes on Thursday, and it’s the first time that I was nervous on a practice, just because I’m playing here. I’m glad, and I’m privileged, to play here on this court.
“I tried not to think about it. This is a new year, a totally different tournament … to play at the same level as last year if I want to repeat the same result.”
Taking to Center Court, the Spaniard was made to work by Lajal, who is exactly one week younger than him and was making his Grand Slam debut after coming through the qualifying rounds. Lajal was hoping to become only the second man from his country to reach the second round at Wimbledon and the first since 1967.
On paper, the showdown should have been a one-way encounter for Alcaraz given that his rival had never faced a top 30 player on the Tour until today. However, Lajal relished the challenge and caught the world No.2 off guard by breaking him in the fifth game. The underdog’s threat didn’t last long as Alcaraz hit back immediately with a 10-point winning streak to nudge back into the lead in what was a closer-than-expected opening set. Eventually, Alcaraz weathered the storm to clinch a 7-6 lead after 54 minutes.
The cat-and-mouse chase continued in the second frame with Alcaraz yet again going down a break before battling back to draw level. Then towards the business end, he snatched another break for a 6-5 lead before sealing the second set with a love service game.
Storming towards the finish line, the former world No.1 sealed the match by winning six out of the last eight games played. Claiming victory with a forehand winner.
“He played a really good match,” Alcaraz said in tribute to his rival. “He surprised me a little bit because I didn’t see him too much playing, practicing, but I think he has the level to go up a lot.
“He’s really young, he’s my age, so I’m sure I’m going to see him really soon in the tour and play against him more often.”
It is the fourth year in a row that Alcaraz has won his opening match at The All-England Club. He is bidding to become the first man outside the Big Three to defend his Wimbledon title since Pete Sampras in 2000.
