ATP Tour

Alcaraz makes winning start in Career Grand Slam bid at Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz made a winning start in his quest to complete the Career Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open, where he overcame a resilient performance from Australian Adam Walton to reach the second round in Melbourne.

Competing for the first time in the post-Juan Carlos Ferrero era, the World No. 1 moved past Walton 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2 in the night session on Rod Laver Arena.

Alcaraz, who ended his seven-year relationship with former coach Ferrero in December, is aiming to become just the sixth man – and youngest – in the Open Era to win all four major titles at least once. The Spaniard was not at his free-flowing best against Walton but found enough consistency when needed to shake off the World No. 79 in the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (2-0 Alcaraz).

“I am really happy to step onto the court once again for the first time this season. It could not have been better, playing here on the Rod Laver Arena,” Alcaraz said. “It was a good match. I felt great and Adam pulled off some great shots, a great level in the match, so I had to stay there at this kind of level.”

Alcaraz struck 38 winners and showed his fighting qualities in the second set, rallying from 1-3 to stamp further authority on the clash. Walton was trying to advance to the second round of his home Slam for the first time and gave a good account of himself throughout the two-hour, 13-minute clash, troubling Alcaraz at times with his deep groundstrokes. However, he could not match the Spaniard in the key moments.

“It was really, really difficult to find the good spots," Alcaraz added. "It felt he was always in a good position. Long rallies. He was solid from the baseline and his flat ball was sometimes really difficult for me. Getting used to the conditions and the court, but it was a really solid match.”

Alcaraz, led by coach Samuel Lopez, is chasing his seventh major this fortnight. The Spaniard is a two-time champion at Roland Garros (2024, '25), Wimbledon (2023, '24) and the US Open (2022, '25). The 22-year-old will next meet Yannick Hanfmann after the German beat American qualifier Zachary Svajda 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3).

In other action, the No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Alexander Bublik earned his first win at the Australian Open since 2022. Competing as a Top 10 player for the first time, the 28-year-old overcame Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to set a second-round clash with Marton Fucsovics.

American qualifier Michael Zheng earned a dream win on his tour-level debut, upsetting Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(0), 6-3. The 21-year-old Zheng, who will next play Corentin Moutet, is currently studying at Columbia University in New York, where he is a senior. Learn more about the reigning NCAA men’s singles champion here.

There were also wins for seeds Cameron Norrie, Francisco Cerundolo and Frances Tiafoe on Day 1. British lefty Norrie defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-0, 6-7(2), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and has now won his past three matches that have gone to five sets, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 18th seed Cerundolo downed Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 7-6(0), 6-3, while Tiafoe defeated Australian Jason Kubler 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2.