The Spaniard was put through his paces, but prevailed 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 against Dutch wildcard Zandschulp to advance to the second round at the indoor hard-court ATP 500.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Alcaraz, who was stunned by the Dutchman in the second round at the US Open last year, struggled to find his range throughout the testing clash. Yet the 21-year-old regained his composure to motor through a dominant final set and seal a two-hour, 33-minute victory, ATP reports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite boasting 16 tour-level titles, Alcaraz is yet to reach a championship match indoors. He will next play against qualifier Andrea Vavassori or two-time titlist in 2025, Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
There was also something physical hindering Alcaraz, who arrived in Rotterdam with a cold and played with a piece of tape on his nose to breathe more easily. \"I don't feel 100 per cent yet. I'll need a few more days for that. But the key was to stay mentally strong. And luckily that worked. It was also a great match for the fans in that sense,\u201d said the Spaniard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On the other hand, Holger Rune advanced to the Rotterdam second round for the third consecutive year after defeating recent Australian Open quarter-finalist Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4), 6-4 in two hours, 11 minutes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
There was also something physical hindering Alcaraz, who arrived in Rotterdam with a cold and played with a piece of tape on his nose to breathe more easily. \"I don't feel 100 per cent yet. I'll need a few more days for that. But the key was to stay mentally strong. And luckily that worked. It was also a great match for the fans in that sense,\u201d said the Spaniard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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