"It was very difficult," admits Alcaraz after his first grass-court win of the year against Walton
Following his epic title at Roland-Garros, Carlos Alcaraz began his grass-court season this Tuesday. The Spaniard defeated Australian lucky loser Adam Walton in two tight sets (6-4, 7-6) and will now advance to the round of 16 at the ATP 500 Queen’s tournament, where he will face his compatriot Jaume Munar.
After his victory, the world No. 2 discussed the playing conditions, particularly the state of the grass, and also reflected on the Australian’s performance, which was of very high quality.
"The conditions were really different compared to last year and two years ago because the women didn’t play on these courts the week before. Honestly, I found the court in good condition.
"Of course, these are fairly fast playing conditions. Truthfully, the more time you spend on the court, the more comfortable you feel on a surface. I told him (Walton) that he played very well. He performed at a very high level.
"It was a surprise for me—he surprised me with the level he showed today (Tuesday). It was very tough. At certain moments in the match, I didn’t know if it was me not playing well or him playing well.
"My coach (Juan Carlos Ferrero) also told me that Adam pleasantly surprised him. His ranking doesn’t reflect his true level, that’s for sure. I don’t know his game on other surfaces, but I felt he was at a pretty interesting level," Alcaraz told Punto De Break.
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