Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Richard Gasquet in straight sets 7-6(5), 6-1, and 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday to secure his place in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open.
Alcaraz had a tough time shaking off former World No. 7 Gasquet in an enthralling opening set but managed to clinch the tie-break and then maintained control, securing a two-hour, 22-minute victory at Rod Laver Arena.
“It’s always great to play here in Australia,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “This is the third time that I’m playing here. I didn’t have a good run the years that I played here, but I enjoyed it a lot and I missed it last year. Today I felt really good, playing here and I enjoyed in front of the crowd.
“I tried to get better. I think in the first set I struggled a little bit with his game and Richard was playing great as well. Every set, I played better and better, and in the end, I think I played quite a good level.”
Making his debut in the 2024 season, Alcaraz aims to build on his outstanding 2023 performance when he claimed six tour-level trophies and consistently vied for the No. 1 position in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings alongside Novak Djokovic.
Currently ranked World No. 2 in Melbourne, the Spaniard has the chance to surpass Djokovic and claim the top spot this fortnight.
Despite the ultimately comfortable scoreline against Gasquet, Alcaraz faced a stern challenge in the first set from the Frenchman, who delighted the night-session crowd with some remarkable trademark backhand winners.
One notable moment occurred at 2/3 in the tie-break, where Gasquet briefly led 5/4 before Alcaraz rallied to secure three consecutive points.
Building on this momentum, Alcaraz elevated his performance. The Spaniard frequently approached the net, showcasing delicate touches and breaking serve twice in both the second and third sets on his way to victory.
The match concluded with Alcaraz tallying 53 winners compared to Gasquet’s 19, highlighting his dominance over his 37-year-old opponent.
