CARLOS ALCARAZ survived a Centre Court scare – to set up a second round battle against Britain’s best student tennis player.
Two-time defending champion Alcaraz, 22, was staring one of the all-time SW19 upsets in the face against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini as the 38-year-old twice levelled the match to take it to a final set.
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Carlos Alcaraz survived a huge scare to reach the second round at WimbledonShutterstock Editorial Fabio Fognini rolled back the years with a sublime performance but ultimately fell shortEPAThe normally-faultless Spaniard made error after error in an uncharacteristically sloppy display that left the spectators stunned.
But second seed Alcaraz finally found his game as Fognini – playing in his last Wimbledon before retiring – wilted in the brutal heat, finally completing a 7-5 6-7 7-5 2-6 6-1 win in more than four and a half hours.
It was a far cry from the Alcaraz who produced one of the all-time performances to come back from two sets down against Jannik Sinner to lift the French Open crown at Roland Garros last month.
Even when he took the opener, Alcaraz – who has not lost a match since April – was off the pace.
And as he was broken twice in the fourth set, with Fognini starting to sense a huge upset, Alcaraz looked like a player who feared the worst.
Clearly suffering in the brutal heat, Alcaraz wore a look of bemusement as it seemed nothing was working.
It was the first time that a defending champion has been taken to a fifth set in the opening match of his defence since Roger Federer in 2010, with the Swiss ace only making the quarter-finals that year.
Few would expect such an early exit for Alcaraz, who cruised through the decider either side of a 15-minute delay after a fan was taken ill with the champion 3-0 up.
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Alcaraz went from participant to concerned observer as he grabbed a bottle of water and ran across the court to help as the fan received treatment.
But when play resumed, Alcaraz showed he had not lost his composure as he booked his match against British world No733 Oliver Tarvet on Wednesday.
He finished it off with a wide service on his first match point that Fognini could only help back into the net.
Even so, his struggles will give Tarvet, who will doubtless have been watching, even more reason to think he could pull off one of the great British Wimbledon fairy-tales on Wednesday.
Speaking about facing Tarvet in the second round following his epic day one win, Alcaraz said: “The game isn’t going to be personal, guys.
“He is playing great tennis on grass and if he is in the second round of Wimbledon then he is playing at a great level.
“I have to be ready and I will try to put my best tennis out for the match.
“Tomorrow, I will try to improve the things that didn’t work today such as the return and the forehand. Let’s keep enjoying being at Wimbledon as well.”
Alcaraz and Fognini played out a classic first-round encounter on Centre CourtEPA Alcaraz had to dig much deeper than expected to reach the second roundGetty Images - GettyAnd Alcaraz was full or praise for Fognini, saying: “I don’t know why it is Fognini’s last Wimbledon because the level he has shown shows he can still play for three or four more years.
“I have to give him the credit for such a great match. He has shown the level and talent he has throughout his whole career and he has shown that once again today, so I’m just a bit sad that this is probably his last Wimbledon.
“I’m happy to have shared the court and locker room many times with him. We got to enjoy the last of him.
“Playing on Centre Court for the first match of any tournament is never easy.
“I’ve been practising pretty well and playing on grass really well, but Wimbledon is special and different. I could feel the difference between Wimbledon and the other tournaments.
“I just tried to play my best but I would say that I could play better. I have to improve in the next round. In general, I still think it was a great match.”
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