Carlos Alcaraz defeated Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal in a close match to begin his Wimbledon title defence.
On Centre Court, the Spaniard prevailed 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-2 to start the match.
Alcaraz, who won the French Open last month, is aiming to win two major championships in a row.
The 21-year-old remarked, “Stepping on this court, it is the most gorgeous surface I have played on.” “When I play here, I still get nervous.”
“I was nervous throughout my 45-minute practice on Thursday because I was going to play on this court for the first time.”
On his maiden appearance in a Grand Slam main draw, Lajal, 21, fought valiantly.
Alcaraz continued, “To be honest, it startled me a little bit because I haven’t seen him play or practise too much.”
“He can advance significantly in level. He is exactly my age, so we are quite youthful, and I have no doubt that we will see each other more frequently.
After Alcaraz defeated Austria’s Sebastian Ofner in a thrilling five-set match, the Australian will now play Aleksandar Vukic in the second round.
In the meantime, first seed Jannik Sinner overcame German Yannick Hanfmann in a match that was played partially inside on Court One, winning 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Hanfmann made things tough for the top seed, but Sinner—the January Australian Open winner—overcame it in three hours.
In the second round, Sinner will now face fellow countryman Matteo Berrettini.
Champion Alcaraz is frustrated by qualifier Lajal.
Alcaraz hasn’t done much in the way of preparation for Wimbledon this year after his impressive performance at Roland Garros.
In his two grass-court matches at Queen’s, he was unexpectedly defeated by Jack Draper of Britain in the second round.
Lajal, ranked 269th in the world, stunned the Centre Court audience by landing the first shot for a 3-2 lead. The Spaniard appeared a little out of practice.
But when it counted, Alcaraz was able to step up his game. He won the opening set by breaking back right away and then controlling the tie-break.
His difficulties persisted in the second set as Lajal traded early breaks with the defending champion, matching his intensity with powerful hitting and deft drop drops.
However, that confidence began to waver when Alcaraz broke to take a 6-5 lead before finishing the set.
The three-time major champion sped through the third set and scored a powerful forehand winner on his second match point, showing no signs of slowing down.
Tiafoe battles back to stay in the first round.
In another match, Frances Tiafoe defeated Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi by a stunning comeback from a two-set deficit.
On Court 15, the American 29th seed rallied to win 6-7 (5-7) 2-6 6-1 6-3 6-3.
Daniil Medvedev, a fifth-seeded Russian who advanced to the semifinals the previous year, easily defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic, winning 6-3 6-4 6-2.
Casper Ruud, an eighth-seeded Norwegian, Tommy Paul, the recent Queen’s winner, and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, ranked tenth, all advanced to the second round.
But in the men’s singles, Sebastian Baez and Nicolas Jarry lost to Denis Shapovalov and Brandon Nakashima, respectively, to become the first seeds to fall.
Additionally, 37-year-old Gael Monfils defeated fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, the 22nd seed, in an all-French match on Court 18.
Next up for him is Stan Wawrinka.
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