Carlos Alcaraz got off to a perfect start at the French Open with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 win over Juan Ignacio Londero in the first round.
Alcaraz is widely considered to be one of the favourites to win the tournament and began with a straight-sets victory over Londero. Fresh from his stunning Madrid Open victory earlier this month which saw him beat both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on his way to final, Alcaraz is gunning for his first Grand Slam singles title.
And the 19-year-old laid down a marker against Londero, who put up a spirited fight early on before fading against a dominant Alcaraz. It took the Spaniard 40 minutes to win the first set as Londero battled hard, but his quality shone through as the match wore on, with Alcaraz comfortably winning the second and third sets 6-2 and 6-0.
The win has now set up a second-round clash with Albert Ramos Viñolas, with Alcaraz insisting before the tournament began that his status among the favourites gives him extra “motivation”. He said: “People are going to think that I’m one of the favourites to win Roland Garros. I don’t have it as tension, I have it as a motivation.”
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“He’s definitely one of the favourites; you’re not going to write off Rafa or Novak, but I like that the inexperience can almost benefit you because you have no fear; you’re going out there, so confident.”
Nadal will get his French Open underway tomorrow against Jordan Thompson, while Djokovic’s tournament also begins tomorrow against Yoshihito Nishioka.