Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has overwhelmed the first round at the Grand Slam tournament from Wimbledon with hard. The winner of the French Open defeated the Italian old master Fabio Fognini on Monday on the first day of the lawn classic after exciting, high -class and nerve -wracking 4:37 hours with 7: 5, 6: 7, 7: 5, 2: 6 and 6: 1 and is thus in London in the second round.
The fact that the game would become such a roller coaster ride was not at all foreseeable at 1.30 p.m. when the encounter on Church Road started. Alcaraz, who won the preparation tournament in the time -honored Queen’s Club, was the high favorite – more than a relaxed opening against the now 38 -year -old Fognini, nobody was expecting the Center Court.
Fognini shows all his skills
But the Italian already showed in the first sentence that he really wanted tennis. Alcaraz was able to secure the first round narrowly, but sentence two got the increasingly strong fognini and thus ensured the first question mark on the face of the young Spaniard. Sentence three went to Alcaraz after three hours, but if you thought that Fognini would now be beaten, one better was taught again.
The extroverted Italian showed all his playful skills and quickly grabbed a first break in set four. Partly wild, outstanding, spectacular rallies later Fognini had actually secured the fourth round and forced the highly favorite Alcaraz in the decisive fifth set.
Long break in the fifth set
In his view, this meant a seat at the tournament in Wimbledon for the world ranking runners-up. The Spaniard, however, showed his mental strength, got the first break directly and then did not let a longer break when a spectator broke out in the stands.
In the end he secured the passage 6: 1, screamed a relieved “Vamos” in the broad and applauded even his Italian opponent, who might have been on the pitch for the last time in Wimbledon.