The Spaniard imposed himself 6-4 7-6 (4) on Walton, who at the last replaced Davidovich, in an hour and 36 minutes, going to the second round of the London tournament
In the end it promotes. Yes, he struggled to beat the Lucky Loser Adam Walton, warned three hours before the match that was to face the king of Roland Garros instead of Davidovich, retired out of illness. But in the end Carlos Alcaraz, at the first game of his season on the grass, is convinced that he had played a good game in 6-4 7-6 (4) in an hour and 36 ‘with which he imposed himself in the first round of Queen’s. “He played more games of me on the grass – says Carlos than his opponent -: he was already used to this surface more experience you have better is. I am happy with how I played, I felt good but obviously I have many things to work on to get to feel comfortable on the grass. But I will succeed.”
Wimbledon
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The goal of Alcaraz is obviously Wimbledon, the Slam on the London grass where Carlos will find Jannik Sinner to relaunch that rivalry that has achieved star levels in the Roland Garros final won by the Spaniard. In this debut on the grass, in the London club where he won in 2023, Carlos showed flashes of that wonderful game that make it with the blue the reference point of world tennis, but also a little rust and the need to get back to the grass. For the 9070 of the Andy Murray Arena, as the Queen’s Club renamed its main field, but he was the main attraction, a show to see which it was worth being almost two hours under a scorching sun more worthy of Murcia, the city where the new Spanish phenomenon was born.
The game
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Walton, number 86 of the world, played like a Lucky Loser must do against one of the best in circulation at the first game on the grass: trying to surprise him. He pulled out a good tennis at the beginning, immediately putting Alcaraz and his first performance on the grass, in which the Spaniard alternated from sample shots to others from one who has yet to understand where it happened. The first set took it by snatching the opponent’s service from the 7th game, making it canceled two set points at the 9th and then closing the accounts on your beaten shift at the first occasion. In the second, however, he had to cancel two sets sets: nothing epic as in Paris against Sinner, but still a first obstacle to overcome the first test on the grass. Walton saw his opportunity blend, then at the Tiebreak he played the exchange that at the net gave 5-4 to the Spaniard. And Alcaraz closed it there, this time without epic comebacks like the last time he had been on the pitch but taking the first step of his season on the grass in the right direction: towards the second round against the winner of the challenge between the Australian Jordan Thompson and the Spanish Jaime Munar, currently on the pitch, and towards Wimbledon and the new, highly anticipated challenge with Sinner.
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