There were some question marks about Carlos Alcaraz heading into this year's Roland Garros, but he answered most of them with his round-one performance.
So far, Alcaraz's clay season has been less than ideal because he essentially only played one event. It was the home ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, and he did well, though not spectacular.
The level there basically confirmed that Alcaraz was still dealing with the effects of his forearm injury, which didn't prevent him from playing but certainly prevented him from playing his best.
He skipped over the Italian Open in favor of getting properly ready for Roland Garros, and judging by his first performance in Paris, he did just that. The opponent wasn't particularly strong on clay, as J.J. Wolf mostly does well on quick surfaces, but the American opened with an early break.
It had more to do with Alcaraz easing himself into the match than with Wolf's play because the Spaniard would then go on to win six games in a row. He extended that streak to eight games in a row, taking an early 2-0 lead in the second set before Wolf finally won a game again.
The set didn't offer anything new from the American, who had some decent moments, but he couldn't sustain that long enough to trouble Alcaraz in any way. He tried his best to be quite aggressive, but it didn't really work out that well.
He misfired often in the opening set, a bit less in the second set, but again, a good amount in the final set. Not serving well also hurt him because it gave Alcaraz enough chances to really assert himself in most rallies.
The Spaniard played pretty well, and he'll take this comfortable win in less than two hours. It's a nice confidence-building win: 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.
Carlos Alcaraz vs J.J. Wolf Match Stats:
| Carlos Alcaraz | 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 | J.J. Wolf |
| 5 | Aces | 0 |
| 1 | Double Faults | 1 |
| 70% | First Serve % | 60% |
| 70% (33/47) | Points Won After First Serve % | 47% (20/43) |
| 65% (13/20) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 28% (8/29) |
| 67% (9/14) | Break Point Conversion | 29% (2/7) |
| 25 | Winners | 9 |
| 18 | Unforced Errors | 21 |
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