Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his French Open title with a straight sets victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, seeking his second Roland Garros title and fifth Grand Slam title, won 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours.
Alcaraz was asked to play on Court Suzanne-Longlen, probably because he prefers not to play in the afternoon, which would require him to play on the main Court Philippe-Chatrier.
He also had to cope with a late-match change of opponent, having originally been drawn against former world number four Kei Nishikori.
“I thought it was really, really solid,” he said. “The first round at any tournament is never easy, and probably coming here as the defending champion, it might be even more difficult.
“But I started quite strongly and maintained a good pace throughout the match, which is great.
“I tried to be really focused on my game.
“Hopefully I can continue my good performance in the next round, but I’m really proud of my start here at Roland Garros.”
Former finalist Casper Ruud also made a strong start to the tournament, with the seventh-seeded Norwegian beating Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who came through the qualifiers, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
