world number 2 Carlos Alcaraz Kicked off his Italian Open debut with a 6-4, 6-1 second round win over the unseeded Spaniard. Albert Ramos-Vinolas On a rain-affected Saturday in Rome.
Alcaraz, who is chasing her fifth title of 2023 and fourth on clay ahead of the French Open, double-faulted to break Ramos-Vinolas on her serve in the opening game of the match, but at the Foro Italico the heavy Recovered quickly amid the circumstances. To level the opening set 2-2.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz, who received a first-round bye, had another chance to break Ramos-Vinolas in the 10th game and took advantage of the match when his compatriot came under pressure and sent a forehand long. , Alcaraz continued to build momentum and went 3–0 up against a fading Ramos-Vinolas in the second set, ending the match on a streak of 12 consecutive wins.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Alcaraz, who would jump Novak Djokovik Reached the top spot in the rankings on 22 May and was assured of the No. 1 seeding at Roland Garros. “The first round of every tournament is really tough, and of course, Ramos-Vinolas are clay specialists. I had to adapt my game quickly so that I could move forward.
“The conditions weren’t easy, rain and waiting all day to know if I was going to be able to play… but I’m really happy with my performance in the end.”
Despite slow conditions due to a rainy day, Alcaraz produced 2½ more winners as Ramos-Vinolas 28–11. Alcaraz extended his winning streak to 12 matches and improved to 20-1 on clay this year.
he will face next jiri leheka or Hungarian qualifier fabian marozson,
Monte Carlo Champion Andrey Rublev Victory Alex Molkan 6-3, 6-4 in a twice interrupted match to secure his place in the third round.
“I’m glad I was able to finish just before the rain,” Rublev said after the match after it rained again. “I can rest now, and I can rest tomorrow. I don’t need to wait until noon.”
Rublev’s Russian compatriots Daniil Medvedev However, he will not have that luxury, as he will seek his first victory in Rome when he opens his campaign against the Finns. emile rusuvuori late in the match.
alexander zverevThe 2017 champion is still in action in the evening and meets david goffinwhile the fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas Takes Nuno Borges,
qualifier camila osorio She pulled off another upset as the 29th seed won the women’s draw petra marticworld number 4 down with colombian player Caroline Garcia Made the round of 16 6-4, 6-4.
Sophia KeninResurgent run ends as former Australian Open champion ousts world No. Aryan Sabalenka In the past, failed to find a way past ahelina kalinina And lost 6-4, 6-2. wang ziyu also defeated taylor townsend 6-2, 0-6, 7-5.
In other men’s matches, JJ Wolf 14th seeded Hubert Hurkaz 6-3, 6-4 and Borna Couric Raleigh Past Thiago Monteiro 4-6, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5).
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
