Carlos Alcaraz began his quest to defend his Roland Garros title with a solid performance, defeating qualifier Giulio Zeppieri 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the major clay-court tournament.
Alcaraz, who is bidding to become the first man to successfully defend his title in Paris since Rafael Nadal in 2019-20, has now won 16 of his 17 tour-level matches on clay this year.
"It was really, really solid. The first round of a tournament is never easy, coming here as the defending champion can be even more difficult. But I started quite well, and kept my good pace throughout the match. I tried to focus on my game, to get a good rhythm," Alcaraz said, as quoted by ATP, Tuesday.
"I'm really proud of my start here at Roland Garros, where I'm really excited to play my first match of the year."
Alcaraz claimed ATP Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Rome before reclaiming the No. 2 spot in the ATP rankings a week ago.
In Paris, the 22-year-old will continue his quest to defend his title in a second-round clash against Fabian Marozsan, with their head-to-head standings at 1-1.
