Rotterdam Open: Carlos Alcaraz secures hard-fought win on tournament debut

Alcaraz was put through paces, but secured a tough 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 win against Botic to make it to the second round. Alcaraz, who was stunned by Botic during the US Open second round last year, struggled to find his perfect game throughout the match but managed to dominate well in the final set to secure a win in two hours and 33 minutes.

Speaking after the match, Alcaraz said as quoted by the official ATP website, "I think there were a lot of ups and downs in the match. Being set point down in the first set, I think Botic played a really solid match. Not too many ups and downs for him, really consistent throughout the match. I am just really happy to get through. [I had to] be really focused in the tough moments, to keep pushing and trust the good tennis will come again. I'm happy to get through a difficult match and have a chance to get better in the next round."

Alcaraz managed to improve his record against Botic to three wins and a loss. Despite his 16 tour-level titles, Alcaraz is yet to reach a final in indoor tournaments. In the second round, against qualifier Andrea Vavassori or two-time titlist in 2025, Felix Auger-Aliassime.

"It was different, it is totally different when you are competing than in the practices," Alcaraz said about the conditions in the match.

"I started really nervous, I think it is normal. The first match in every tournament is never easy. I just had to get used to my first match here in Rotterdam. You have to get used to playing with a full crowd, it is totally different. I'm just happy to get used to it," he added.

Also, Holger Rune secured an entry into the Rotterdam Open second round for the third successive year, beating Australian Open quarterfinalist Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4), 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours and 11 minutes. Rune hit 30 winners and had 27 unforced errors, as compared to Italy's 23 winners and 39 unforced errors. (ANI)