Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz avoided earthquake shocks against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in the first round of Wimbledon to meet with the British qualifier Oliver Tarvet.
Alcaraz digs deeply 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 2-6 6-1, opening the first day of the Pasture Grand Slam Championship.
The 22-year-old Spaniard quickly won the victory when an entertainment contest resumed after a 15-minute pause in the decision game.
A spectator sitting in the sun was sick and Alcaraz drove by with a bottle of cold water to help them recover.
Alcaraz is the second seed after Italian rival Jannik Sinner, who struggled in the serve and made an unwise mistake in four and a half hours of temperatures as high as 32 degrees Celsius.
In his last Wimbledon appearance before retirement, Fognini, 38, fought two fights to force the decision-maker, but Alcaraz regained control, extending his winning streak to 19 games.
Alcaraz finally ended Fognini’s resistance, falling into a broad smile and sharing a friendly hug with his opponent.
Alcaraz won his fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open earlier this month – defeating Sinner in the classic final in history – lifting the Queen’s trophy after returning to the British grassland.
Next, he will face 21-year-old Tarvet, who shot in a Sport superstar after Wimbledon’s debut defeat to Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi.
