Alex michelsen

Next Gen ATP Finals: World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz won his first match of the year by wearing down 37-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets on Tuesday.

Once the second seed from Spain had raised his game in time to edge a tight 72-minute first set on a tiebreak, the two-time major winner pulled away to ease through 7-6(5) 6-1 6-2, his first win in Melbourne since 2022.

The Spaniard missed last year’s event due to injury, and will be keen to keep building momentum when he next faces Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the third round on Thursday.