Carlos Alcaraz won his opening match at the Vienna Open on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over Karen Khachanov, while Alexander Zverev survived four match points to beat Martin Landaluce in a marathon encounter. World number three Alcaraz saw off the former eighth-ranked Russian 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in their first-round meeting. The seven-time Grand Slam champion decided to add the 500-level event in the Austrian capital to his schedule at short notice, having not competed in it since 2021.
Carlos Alcaraz won his opening match at the Vienna Open on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over Karen Khachanov, while Alexander Zverev survived four match points to beat Martin Landaluce in a marathon encounter.
“I really enjoyed it, even though I had to run, had to fight, had to sweat a lot. We both played great shots, great points. In a closely contested second frame, Alcaraz prevailed in a tight tie-break with a perfectly weighted drop shot to seal the match. “Credit to (Landaluce), he played an amazing match.
Sidelined from mid-April to the end of August due to a wrist injury, Alcaraz has produced mixed results since his return, including a third-round exit at the Shanghai Masters in his last tournament at the start of October. The 23-year-old will next face Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili or local player Jurij Rodionov in the round of 16. Zverev secured a crucial second break of the 20-year-old Spaniard’s serve in the 12th game to take the opener 7-5.
I would say it was a great match to watch and I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz said. “(I was pushed) to the absolute limit,” Zverev said.
