Reuters
Carlos Alcaraz secured a hard-fought 4-6 7-5 7-6(3) win over Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech on his Queen’s Club debut, bouncing back from a disappointing French Open.
The Spaniard, who will be one of the main contenders at the Queen’s grasscourt tournament and Wimbledon next month, survived a wobble in the third set and then won the tiebreak.
Rinderknech, ranked 87th, came in as a lucky loser after the withdrawal of compatriot Arthur Fils and put up a memorable fight to make the Spaniard sweat in the first-round clash.
The 20-year-old, who slipped to world number two after suffering cramps during his semi-final defeat by Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, will try to reclaim top spot even though he is playing in only his third career grasscourt tournament.
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