Alcaraz breezes through Paris opener

PARIS, France (AFP) — Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz opened his campaign at the Paris Masters on Tuesday with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

After receiving a bye through the first round, Alcaraz took a 3-0 lead in his Round of 32 match but was reigned back in by Jarry, before eventually claiming the first set 7-5.

However, Alcaraz was in commanding form in the second set, giving his Chilean opponent only one game as he raced to victory.

“It’s been two years since I have won a match here in Paris, so every time that I keep going is a gift for me,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said.

“I’m just really happy to get through the opening set, it was really important for me to come into the second with more confidence. I (need) time to get used to the speed of the court.”

Alcaraz is the heavy favorite to win his first title on the hard court at Bercy Arena after Italian world number one Jannik Sinner withdrew from the tournament earlier on Tuesday due to an intestinal virus.

He will face either Frenchman Ugo Humbert or American Marcos Giron in the Round of 16.

Argentinean Francisco Cerundolo edged Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5) in a two-set match that lasted nearly two hours 20 minutes.

Fresh off winning his first ATP 500 tournament last week in Vienna, Briton Jack Draper beat Czech 22-year-old Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-2.