Carlos Alcaraz charges past Richard Gasquet to reach round 2 in Australian Open return

After nearly two years of absence, No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz made a winning return to the Australian Open as he defeated Richard Gasquet in straight sets, 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday. 

The 20-year-old was met with a roar from the crowd as he stepped inside Rod Laver Arena, and enjoyed their vocal support throughout the evening as he made his first appearance in Melbourne since 2022. 

“It’s always great to play here in Australia,” said Alcaraz in an on-court interview. “This is the third time that I’m playing here. I didn’t have a good run the years that I played here, but I enjoyed it a lot and I missed it last year. Today I felt really good, playing here and I enjoyed it in front of the crowd.

“I think in the first set I struggled a little bit with his game, and Richard was playing great as well. Every set, I played better and better, and in the end I think I played quite a good level.”

Alcaraz’s performance soothed worries for fans and pundits, as questions swirled around the No. 2 seeds pre-tournament schedule—he didn’t play a tune-up event in Australia—and preparations, as he hasn’t competed since his semifinal defeat at the Nitto ATP Finals last year.

Against Gasquet in Melbourne, the Spaniard was made to work in a hard-fought first set that kicked off their second career meeting. The pair faced off in the Umag final in back in 2021, a moment that would prove pivotal for the then-teenage Alcaraz—Alcaraz went on to capture his maiden ATP title there, and mark the beginning of his ascension to the ATP elite.

Three years later, with Gasquet facing a bigger and stronger Alcaraz who was now a two-time Grand Slam winner, the Frenchman unleashed his vintage best in a set that went down to the tiebreaker. But after being edged in the first set, Gasquet didn’t have much more to give in the second and third sets. The 37-year-old, who has competed in 73 Grand Slam main draws, couldn’t hold back for long as the 20-year-old began imposing his game.

“Obviously, Richard is a great player but I’ve got to say, he’s an even better person,” Alcaraz said. “He has a lot of talent, his backhand is crazy. The way that he hit his backhand [today], it was great to play against him.”

Alcaraz broke serve four times—twice in each of the last two sets—and didn’t face a break point of his own in the match. But the stat that marked the difference was Alcaraz’s 53 winners to Gasquet’s 19—a figure that illustrates just how dominant the Spaniard proved to be across two hours and 22 minutes. 

Alcaraz will next face Lorenzo Sonego in the second round in the pair’s second career meeting. In 2021, Sonego took down the Spanish debutant 6-3, 7-6 (3)—but, on Thursday in Melbourne, both players will be expecting a stronger challenge from Alcaraz.