Carlos Alcaraz wins first match as world no. 1 to secure Spain's victory over Korea
ATP
Carlos Alcaraz won his first match as the ATP World No. 1 player, helping his country beat the Republic of Korea at the 2022 Davis Cup.
Right after his maiden Grand Slam triumph, Alcaraz traveled to Valencia to help his Davis Cup team in the group stages. However, in his first match, it was obvious that the Spaniard wasn't ready to give his best after just coming from the United States.
Alcaraz lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime and didn't look for any excuses after the match. The 19-year-old admitted that he didn't arrive at his best and didn't have time to adjust to the courts in Valencia.
In his second Davis Cup match and second match as the World No. 1 player, the young Spaniard took on Soonwoo Kwon from Korea. Kwon defeated Auger-Aliassime a few days ago and showed that he's capable of causing an upset.
But Alcaraz flew into the match like a bullet. He got an early break, and soon he led 5-2, looking to end the first set early. However, his opponent started a seven-point streak, which took the break advantage away from the home crowd favorite, and the first set was close to being decided in a tie-break.
Yet, after Kwon led 40-15 on his serve, Alcaraz managed to win four points in a row to win the first set. But the 2022 US Open winner didn't start well in the second set.
He got broken very early and when he was down 3-4 and was facing another break point, it seemed that the Spaniard would lose a one-set lead once again.
But Alcaraz broke back, forced a tie-break, and won it 7-1 to secure his first victory as the World No. 1 player, as well as Spain's win over the Republic of Korea in the Davis Cup.
