Alcaraz sees off spirited Lajal to reach Wimbledon second round

NEW DELHI: Carlos Alcaraz, the third seed at Wimbledon, successfully moved into the second round on Monday after defeating Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-2. The 21-year-old Spaniard, aiming for his fourth Grand Slam title following his first French Open win last month, faced a challenging start, Reuters reported.

In a high-quality opening set, Alcaraz lost his serve midway but managed to come back and win the set in a tiebreak. Lajal, ranked 269th, broke Alcaraz's serve early in the second set. However, Alcaraz quickly broke back to love and took control by breaking Lajal again in the 11th game.

With momentum on his side, Alcaraz dominated the court, winning the second set and raising his performance further in the third. He made a decisive break with a superb backhand crosscourt winner and maintained his lead to secure the victory.

Alcaraz's ability to adapt and excel under pressure was evident throughout the match. Through his resilience and skill, he took a significant step forward in his Wimbledon campaign.

"He played a good match, obviously surprised me a little bit because I didn't have the chance to see him play a lot. He has a great level, he's really young, my age," Alcaraz said.

"I'm sure I will play against him even more on the tour and I'm really happy to get my first win on Centre Court this year."

Alcaraz admitted he still felt slightly nervous at the venue where he had defeated Novak Djokovic in the final a year ago.

"Stepping on this court, it's the most beautiful court I've played on. I still get nerves when I'm playing here," he added.

"I played for 45 minutes here on Thursday and it's the first time I get nervous practising. I'm glad and I'm a privileged guy to play on this court.

"... This is a new year, a different tournament, I have to be focused on my game. When I walk around, I get goosebumps. I remember last year and that was a great feeling."