Alcaraz shines: No. 1 player shows his strength in Melbourne

Melbourne: Carlos Alcaraz began his new bid for a career Grand Slam by defeating unseeded Australian Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday. The world number one displayed the power and precision of a history-maker. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who could surpass Don Budge and become the youngest player to win all four major singles titles at least once, displayed such a display of shot-making that fans at a packed Rod Laver Arena were either glued to their seats or applauding. “I’m very happy to be on court for the first time this season. I think there couldn’t be anything better than Rod Laver Arena. It was a good match, I really enjoyed it,” Alcaraz said. “Adam showed a very good level in the match, so I had to stay there. Overall, I’m happy with the level I played today. “It was hard to find good spots (against him)… He was always in good position, played long rallies, and was solid from the baseline. His flat ball was sometimes very difficult for me. It was a really solid match, and when he got on the court and played aggressively, he did, and that made the match very difficult.” A powerful forehand helped Alcaraz take the first break and take a 5-3 lead, and the six-time Grand Slam champion closed out the first set on his retooled serve, which now closely resembles Novak Djokovic’s delivery. This technical change follows Alcaraz’s abrupt split from his former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, last month, who was unimpressed when the Spaniard was dragged into a second-set tiebreak after playing loose, crowd-pleasing tennis. The ruthless Alcaraz went all out to double his lead and then capitalized on the momentum to easily win the third set, setting up a second-round clash with Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.