Melbourne, Australia, Jan 16 (EFE).- Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated French veteran Richard Gasquet in straight sets in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The Rod Laver Arena was packed out as Alcaraz returned to the Australian Open for the first time since 2022, having missed last year’s tournament with a thigh injury.
The second seeded youngster from Murcia beat Gasquet 7-6, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and 22 minutes to set up a clash with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.
Having already won the 2022 US Open and last year’s Wimbledon title at just 20 years of age, Alcaraz is one of the favorites to challenge reigning champion in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic, who has an all-time record 24 major titles and a record 10 Australian Open titles.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, 6th seeded Alexander Zverev defeated his German compatriot Dominik Koepfer 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, to set up a second round clash with Slovakia’s Lukas Klein.
In the women’s draw, British star Emma Raducanu marked her return from over eight months out with injury with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Shelby Rogers.
First seed Iga Swiatek booked her spot in the next round with a straight sets win against American Sofia Kenin, while third seed Elena Rybakina also dismissed Czechia’s Karolina Pliskova 7-6, 6-4.
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