Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Shevchenko with ease to begin his defense of the Madrid Open title.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz, ranked third in the world, defeated Shevchenko of Kazakhstan 6-2, 6-1.
The 23-year-old Shevchenko was unable to match the Wimbledon champion’s pace and flair as he dominated the whole match in a dominant display.
Although the Spaniard wore a compression sleeve on his arm during the match, it was a pleasant return to the clay for Alcaraz, who had to withdraw from last week’s Barcelona Open due to a right forearm injury.
Alcaraz stated following the win that he was not “feeling 100%” with his forehand but that he was not in any arm pain.
He stated, “I’m thinking about it, it’s not going to leave my mind,” in reference to the wound.
“I’ve been hitting harder and doing well in practice leading up to this week, but I don’t feel 100% comfortable playing my forehand.
“But I must admit that I’m incredibly excited to be playing at this level. I still believe I’m capable of competing.”
In the third round, Alcaraz will take on Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil.
In the men’s draw, Hubert Hurkacz of Poland defeated Jack Draper of Britain 6-1, 7-5.
The world number nine, who easily won the opening set, punished Draper, 22, for his sluggish start.
Draper rallied in the second set, but Hurkacz served for the match and won in 77 minutes after a double fault.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev defeated Borna Coric 6-2 6-3, seventh seed Andrey Rublev advanced to the third round with a straight-set victory over Facundo Bagnis, and Denmark’s Holger Rune also advanced with a win over Mariano Navone.
