Carlos Alcaraz spent much of his opening match in Madrid behind in the set score but still claimed a relatively routine victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-3, 7-5.
Seeking a Spanish double following his Barcelona title, Alcaraz took some time to find his footing on home soil in the opening set but quickly went through the gears to turn a 1-3 deficit into a one-set lead. He twice trailed by a break in the second but again raced through the finish line by taking the final four games of the match.
He said:
"I think I played really well. This is a tough opponent. He plays really hard. I think that the first match in every tournament is tough, but I was focused from the beginning to the end and I'm really happy to get into the next round."
Alcaraz played in Madrid last year as well losing to Rafael Nadal. Comparing himself to that Alcaraz, he said:
"I think I'm more mature now. One year is not too much time to get mature but I think I'm a different player, a different person now. I manage the nerves better than before and I think now I'm ready to play these kinds of matches in these kind of stadiums in front of a lot of people. I'm feeling comfortable in these types [of matches]."
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