Defending champion Carlos Alcazar beat Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri 6-3 6-4 6-2 in 1 hour and 56 minutes to reach the second round on Court Suzannne Lenglen at Roland Garros.
Alcaraz saved all three break points and converted four of his eight break points. The world number 2 fired 31 winners to 23 unforced errors.
Zeppieri earned two break points in the first game, but Alcaraz saved them to hold serve. The four-time Grand Slam earned a break in the fourth game and did not convert two more break points in the sixth game. He held on his serve in the seventh and ninth games to close out the first set 6-3.
Alcaraz held five service games in the second set. The Spaniard saved a break point in the fifth game before breaking serve in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. He wrapped up the second set with a hold in the 10thgame.
Alcaraz earned an early break in the first game of the third set and saved a break point in the fourth game to open up a 3-1 lead. Alcaraz went up a double break in the fifth game to extend his lead to 4-1 and held serve in the sixth and eighth games to seal the third set 6-2.
Alcaraz is aiming to become the first player to successfully defend the French Open title since Rafael Nadal in 2019 and 2020.
“It was really, really solid- The first round of the tournament is never easy, coming here as the defending champion could be even tougher. But I just started pretty well, and kept my good pace during the whole match. I tried to be focused on my game, to get a good rhythm”, said Alcaraz.
