Carlos Alcaraz navigates tricky lucky loser challenge in Queen's Club opener

Carlos Alcaraz began his campaign at the Queen’s Club Championships with a victory, overcoming Australian lucky loser Adam Walton 6-4, 7-6(4). The Spaniard had to work harder than expected against an unexpected opponent, following the last-minute withdrawal of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The five-time Grand Slam champion arrives as a favorite for this grass-swing, and while he didn't face major setbacks against Walton, it wasn't an easy task as his opponent's world No. 86 ranking might suggest. Alcaraz starts his path to defending his Wimbledon title in good form and will face the winner between Jaume Munar and Jordan Thompson in the second round.

First Set: Alcaraz breaks through late

The favoritism was clearly with Alcaraz, undoubtedly the best on grass courts in recent seasons – with three titles including the last two editions of Wimbledon. However, Walton didn't back down initially, with both players holding their service games without major issues in the early part, reaching 3-3 with no significant differences.

One of Alcaraz's strengths is undoubtedly his efficiency on return, putting the ball in play and forcing long rallies even on the fastest courts. This is how he put pressure on his opponent, who at 3-3 couldn't capitalize on a 40-15 lead and ended up getting into more trouble. After 18 points, Alcaraz secured the break on his third chance, taking the lead in the set.

The world No. 2 pushed for a second break at 5-3, but Walton managed to save a couple of set points against him this time. However, it wasn't enough to extend the set further, as Alcaraz didn't falter on his serve in the final part, taking the set 6-4, conceding only 4 points on his serve.

Second Set: Alcaraz escapes and dominates tie-break

In the second set, Walton again performed well on his serve, usually holding without much difficulty. The Australian improved from a poor 46% first-serve percentage in the first set to 72% in the second, making things tougher for Alcaraz on return.

This time, Walton was the first to trouble his opponent on return. The Australian was up 5-4 when doubts crept into Alcaraz's serve. The Spaniard escaped a 15-40 situation (two set points for his opponent) and managed to stay in the fight, then taking everything to a tie-break. As is typical for "Carlitos," he found his best level in the final part of the match and ultimately took the set 7-6(4) on his second match point – without conceding service points in the tie-break.

Match Statistics Alcaraz vs. Walton