Alcaraz cruises past Wolf to reach French Open second round

Carlos Alcaraz, the third seed, got off to a winning start in his bid to win his first French Open title on Sunday, defeating American J.J. Wolf 6-1 6-2 6-1 with no obvious problems on his troublesome right forearm.

Last year's semi-finalist arrived at Roland Garros having only played four clay court matches due to an issue that forced him to skip Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome, with his Madrid title defence also derailed in the process.

"I had low expectations coming into the tournament but after the practice week, after this first round, well, the confidence is higher. My expectations probably got higher after today's match, but let's see," Alcaraz told reporters.

"All I can say is I'm feeling great on the court. I felt amazing in this match, so hopefully keep going."

After previously expressing concerns and wearing a compression sleeve, the 21-year-old Spaniard drew gasps from the crowd on Philippe Chatrier court when he dropped serve in the first game of the match, but he responded quickly.

Wolf, a lucky loser in the qualifying tournament making his second appearance in the Paris main draw, struggled to keep up with his opponent, and the 25-year-old was broken three times in a one-sided first set.

"Everybody told me I must go to 100% on every forehand, but I don't feel as comfortable as before to play every forehand and forget my forearm," added Alcaraz, whose utter dominance belied the fact that he was playing within himself at times.

"I'm trying to hit as many forehands as I can 100%, but there are a few (during which) I want to stay easy."

Under grey skies, Alcaraz quickly doubled his lead in the contest, then raced ahead 3-0 under the roof in the third set as rain began to fall, before Wolf sent a shot long to end the match.

SportsLigue