Australian Open: Alcaraz kicks off 2024 with classy win over Gasquet

Carlos Alcaraz ensured a smooth progression into the second round of the Australian Open by comfortably beating veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2 in the night session on Day 3 at Melbourne Park.

While the result was ultimately a straightforward one for the Spaniard, the first set was a close and intriguing contest, with the 37-year-old Frenchman causing Alcaraz problems courtesy of a deft touch at the net and explosive use of his renowned one-handed backhand.

With the world No 2 opting not to play any warm-up events in the run-up to the year’s opening Grand Slam, Alcaraz looked a touch rusty throughout the first hour of play. Gasquet took full advantage, asking tough questions of the Spaniard as he took the opener to a tiebreak.

There was very little to separate the two in the breaker, with Gasquet demonstrating the level-headedness of experience to execute a fine display of shot-making to keep Alcaraz on his toes.

Ultimately, however, it was the Spaniard who clinched the opener, taking it 7-5 in the tiebreak to move into a one-set lead.

From there, it was all one-way traffic.

Alcaraz broke twice in each of the following two sets to canter to a comfortable finish following a thoroughly testing first stanza.

“It’s always great to play here in Australia,” Alcaraz said during in his on-court interview.

“In the first set I struggled a little bit with his game, and Richard is playing great as well. But, you know, every set I’ve been playing better and better, and at the end I think I played a good level.

“Richard is a great player, but an even better person. He’s been around forever. A really, really kind person.”

It is the Spaniard’s first win of the 2024 season and his first at the Australian Open in two years, having missed last season’s tournament with a leg injury.

Alcaraz will face Italian world No 46 Lorenzo Sonego in the second round as he continues his bid for a maiden Australian Open title.

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Melbourne (Grand Slam), other first-round results (Melbourne Park, hard, USD 58.910.000, most recent results first):

• Lorenzo Sonego beat Daniel Evans: 4-6, 7-6 (8), 6-2, 7-6 (4)
• Alexander Zverev (6) beat Dominik Koepfer: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3
• Tommy Paul (14) beat Gregoire Barrere: 6-2, 6-3, 6-3
• Thanasi Kokkinakis beat Sebastian Ofner: 7-6 (1), 2-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 7-6 (8)
• Juncheng Shang (WC) beat Mackenzie McDonald: 6-3, 1-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
• Sumit Nagal (Q) beat Alexander Bublik (31): 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (5)
• Holger Rune (8) beat Yoshihito Nishioka: 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4
• Jack Draper beat Marcos Giron: 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
• Max Purcell beat Mate Valkusz (Q): 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 7-5
• Lukas Klein (Q) beat SoonWoo Kwon: 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3
• Grigor Dimitrov (13) beat Marton Fucsovics: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-2
• Casper Ruud (11) beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas: 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
• Giulio Zeppieri (Q) beat Dusan Lajovic: 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
• Cameron Norrie (19) beat Juan Pablo Varillas: 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
• Jiri Lehecka (32) beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles: 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
• Alex Michelsen beat James McCabe (WC): 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
• Tallon Griekspoor (28) beat Roman Safiullin: 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-5
• Arthur Fils beat Jiri Vesely: 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3
• Arthur Cazaux (WC) beat Laslo Djere: 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
• Jan-Lennard Struff (24) beat Rinky Hijikata: 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (8)
• Felix Auger-Aliassime (27) beat Dominic Thiem: 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 5-7, 6-3
• Miomir Kecmanovic beat Yosuke Watanuki: 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
• Hubert Hurkacz (9) beat Omar Jasika (Q): 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-2
• Alex De Minaur (10) beat Milos Raonic: 6-7 (6), 6-3, 2-0 ret.
• Hugo Grenier (Q) beat Alexandre Muller: 2-6, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7)
• Nuno Borges beat Maximilian Marterer: 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2
• Ugo Humbert (21) beat David Goffin (Q): 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
• Gael Monfils beat Yannick Hanfmann: 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
• Zhizhen Zhang beat Federico Coria: 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5)
• Tomas Martin Etcheverry (30) beat Andy Murray: 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
• Christopher Eubanks beat Taro Daniel: 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
• Aleksandar Kovacevic (Q) beat Alejandro Tabilo: 6-7 (2), 7-6 (7), 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
• Jordan Thompson beat Aleksandar Vukic: 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
• Karen Khachanov (15) beat Daniel Altmaier: 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)
• Jakub Mensik (Q) beat Denis Shapovalov: 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
• Stefanos Tsitsipas (7) beat Zizou Bergs (LL): 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
• Luca Van Assche beat James Duckworth (WC): 6-7 (2), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
• Adrian Mannarino (20) beat Stan Wawrinka: 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0
• Alexei Popyrin beat Marc Polmans (WC): 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-2
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (23) beat Constant Lestienne: 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
• Ben Shelton (16) beat Roberto Bautista Agut: 6-2, 7-6 (2), 7-5
• Daniil Medvedev (3) beat Terence Atmane (Q): 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0 ret.
• Emil Ruusuvuori beat Patrick Kypson (WC): 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4)
• Sebastian Korda (29) beat Vit Kopriva (Q): 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2
• Flavio Cobolli (Q) beat Nicolas Jarry (18): 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
• Lorenzo Musetti (25) beat Benjamin Bonzi: 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2
• Hugo Gaston (LL) beat Roberto Carballes Baena: 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
• Frances Tiafoe (17) beat Borna Coric: 6-3, 7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-3
• Novak Djokovic (1) beat Dino Prizmic (Q): 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4
• Quentin Halys beat Lloyd Harris (Q): 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (2)
• Daniel Elahi Galan beat Jason Kubler (WC): 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (8)
• Sebastian Baez (26) beat J.J. Wolf: 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 3-0 ret.
• Taylor Fritz (12) beat Facundo Diaz Acosta: 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
• Jesper De Jong (Q) beat Pedro Cachin: 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
• Christopher O’Connell beat Cristian Garin: 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
• Tomas Machac beat Shintaro Mochizuki (LL): 7-5, 6-1, 7-5
• Andrey Rublev (5) beat Thiago Seyboth Wild: 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (6)
• Fabian Marozsan beat Marin Čilić: 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5
• Francisco Cerundolo (22) beat Dane Sweeny (Q): 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
• Pavel Kotov beat Arthur Rinderknech: 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-3
• Jannik Sinner (4) beat Botic van de Zandschulp: 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
• Matteo Arnaldi beat Adam Walton (WC): 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-4
• Jaume Munar beat Alexander Shevchenko: 6-3, 6-3, 6-1