Champion Alcaraz starts title defence with straight sets win on Centre Court

By Paul Lagan at Wimbledon
Centre Court

Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) v Mark Lajal (Estonia)

7-6, 7-5, 6-2

Reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alvaraz came through a good workout in the first round in  the defence of is title by seeing off a spirited Mark Lajal in straight sets.

It was what Alvaraz needed on a slighlty overcast Centre Court where the less than ideal conditions gave the Estonian a leveller he probabaly did not expect.

But class told in the end.

Despite going love 30 down in the opening game, the number 3 seed and defending championship got into his rhythm and fired off a few power shots to take the opening game.
The Estonian countered in fine fashion to level. In the third, The man from Murcia on the Costa Blanca won his game with a delicate drop shot.
But after a couple of game wins each the first break fell to Mark Lajal. Alvarez saved one break point with another quality drop shot but was eventual beaten by the sheer power of his opponent whose ability to his the base line forced Alcaraz I to unforced errors.
As befitting a champions, he quickly broke back to love.
Games went with serve with both players not quite hitting their best.
Alcaraz went 5-4 up. Lajal responded with some fantastic first serves, which Alcaraz sent back at equal pace.
But it was the server who held nerve to take it to 5-5.
A 5-6, Lajal responded with three aces to get up a love game win and a tie-breaker it became.
The high quality of the previous game saw the breaker fall to Alcaraz to 3 as a double-fault ended the first set resistance of Lajal.
The first game of the second set fell to Lajal with a couple of wayward efforts by Alcaraz contributing.
The Spaniard saved one break point with an explosive set of rally strokes that eventually saw Lajal hit long.
This was wiped out by a needless double fault, and a ball I to the net saw Alcaraz broken to give Lajal a 2-0 lead.
But again the champions responded with a love break.
Games went with serve and there was a whisper of another break on 4-4 but Lajal won back the point and the game. This soon became 5-5.
the rather dull et smashed I to life as Alcaraz broke Lajal who was 40-love up but succumbed to some sensational baseline play by the Spaniard, who then served for the second set.
Alcaraz need no incentive to see out the set and he duly forced Lajal to hit a return into the net to take the set 7-5.
Alcaraz then immediately broke the Estonian, whose own form and performance remained constant and high, it was the Spaniard’s levels that started to hit the sweeter spot.
It soon became 2-0.
Another beautiful drop shot by Alcaraz saw him take a 3-1 lead in the third.
He repeated the effort in the fifth game to break the now flagging opponent to take a seemingly decisive hold in the set.
At 1-5 down, the Estonian was in the last chance saloon and the beer had run dry as Alcaraz ran his opponent ragged around the court.
There was at least one more game for the appreciative crowd to watch as Lajal managed to hold serve to take it to 5-2.
Alcaraz did not let the opportunity to finish off the game slip and he saw out the game, set and match.

Pictured top: Alcaraz v Lajal Picture by Paul Lagan