World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain kicked off his Queen's Club campaign with a gritty 6-4, 7-6(4) win over lucky loser Adam Walton of Australia in London.
Walton, drafted in when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina withdrew due to illness, rattled the Spaniard with two break points at 5-4 in the first set. Alcaraz stayed calm, held serve, and sealed it 6-4.
The second set went down to a tiebreak, where Alcaraz secured the decisive break at 4-4 and clinched victory with a forehand winner on his first match point. The five-time Grand Slam champion said, "I feel super happy to be back on grass. It's a special surface, a special place to me."
Next up for Alcaraz is a second-round clash with fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar as the grass-court season heats up at Queen's Club.
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Alcaraz survives late scare against Walton in opener at Queen's Club
cgtn.com
