CARLOS ALCARAZ STARTS DEFENCE OF QUEEN’S TITLE WITH COMFORTABLE WIN TO SET UP JACK DRAPER MATCH
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is through to the second round of Queen’s after a straight-sets win. The Spaniard, who lifted the French Open title earlier this month, saw off Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. Five-time winner Andy Murrya is also into the last-16, having registered a three-set success against Alexei Popyrin. British No 1 Jack Draper is in action later.
Alcaraz, who is attempting to defend the title he won last year, picked up a 6-1 7-5 victory. He showed no signs of rustiness in easing through the first set, which he took 6-1 in double-quick time, winning 16 of 20 points behind his own serve.
Cerundolo rallied at the start of the second, and duly broke his opponent for an early 2-0 lead. He maintained that advantage as the set wore on, but his game crumbled as he served for it at 5-3.
Alcaraz broke back and was expected to regain control from there, but there was more drama to come as he faced three set points in the next game.
Each were saved though, with Cerundolo continuing to struggle to find his range on the big points, and after holding for 5-5, the Spaniard inevitably broke for a 6-5 lead.
That gave him the chance to serve for the match, and he wrapped proceedings up by winning the game to love, sealing it with a thumping serve out wide that his opponent failed to return. “The first match in every tournament is never easy, but even more difficult here on grass,” he said in his on-court interview.
