Carlos Alcaraz came from behind in both sets to beat Nikolz Basilashvili 6-3 7-5 on Manolo Santona Stadium in the Madrid Mutua Open.
Alcaraz went down a 1-3 down in the first set but he won five consecutive games with three breaks of serve to seal the first set. This year’s Barcelona Open champion trailed by a break twice in the second set, but he recovered by winning the final four games from 3-5 down to close out the second set 7-5.
Basilashvili struggled on his serve and Alcaraz broke back in the fourth and tenth games of the second set to draw level to 5-5. The Spaniard broke in the 12th game to seal the second set 7-5.
Alcaraz will face either Cameron Norrie or John Isner in the third round before a possible quarter final clash against Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz has reached the top 10 for the first time in his career after winning the Barcelona ATP 500 title. He also won the Rio Open and his first Masters 1000 in Miami. “I think I played really well. This is a tough opponent. He plays really hard. I think that the first match in every tournament is tough, but I was focused from the beginning to the end and I am really happy to get into the next round. I am more mature now. One year is is not too much time to get mature but I think I am a different player now. I manage the nerves better than before and I think now I am ready to play these kind of matches in these kind of stadiums in front of a lot of people. I am feeling comfortable in these types of matches”, said Alcaraz.
