|
Printable Page
05/09 09:10 CDT Alcaraz beats Lajovic in return from injury at Italian Open;
No. 1 Sabalenka advances
Alcaraz beats Lajovic in return from injury at Italian Open; No. 1 Sabalenka
advances
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
ROME (AP) --- Carlos Alcaraz returned from a brief injury layoff with a 6-3,
6-3 victory over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic at the Italian Open on Friday.
The third-ranked Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open last month due to an
upper right leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final. He
also had a left leg injury.
Against Lajovic, Alcaraz wore a long black brace that covered the upper portion
of his right leg and stretched down to just below his knee.
"The body felt great," Alcaraz said. "I just moved well. I made a few good
sprints today without any pain. ... It was a test for me so I think I passed
the test today."
"It was a great performance, great level, which was surprising for me a little
bit, but just really happy for that," Alcaraz added.
Alcaraz won the opening four games but dropped his serve when he served for the
first set at 5-2. The Spaniard broke back in the next game to close it out,
showing off his speed on the clay court at the Foro Italico when he ran down a
drop shot and produced a backhand winner on one key point.
Alcaraz also went ahead early in the second set. He finished with the same
number of winners as unforced errors --- 24.
Alcaraz, who won the Monte Carlo Masters in April, improved to 10-1 on clay
this season. He'll next face either 31st-seeded Alex Michelsen or Laslo Djere.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz is preparing to defend his title at
the French Open, which starts May 25.
The Rome tournament also marks the return of top-ranked Jannik Sinner from a
three-month doping ban.
Sinner and Alcaraz are in opposite sides of the draw.
Sinner opens against 99th-ranked Mariano Navone on Saturday.
In the women's tournament, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka opened with a 6-2, 6-2
victory over Anastasia Potapova.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
