Carlos Alcaraz put on another show, mixing slick drop shots with explosive ball-striking as his talent lit up Rod Laver Arena, rolling to a 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 win. The top seed fired eight aces and 38 winners in his first-round meeting with Australia’s Adam Walton. Still, it wasn’t all perfect as Alcaraz revealed after the match.

Along with the win, the Spaniard also piled up 36 unforced errors, more than his 81st-ranked opponent. So when asked to reflect on his performance and the tight second set, he responded:

“Well, it was… I would say, a difficult match for me. In the first set, just one break. He just missed two first sets. He was playing really good, really solid, and I think he was trying to find the position to attack every time he can.”

The 22-year-old explained, “Then in the second set, I think he found more spots to be aggressive. I’m playing good tennis. I just lost focus a little bit in that game with myself, and then it was even more complicated for me.”

With the win, the Spaniard, who ended his partnership with former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in December, is now chasing history in Melbourne. He’s aiming to become just the sixth man (and the youngest in the Open Era) to win all four Grand Slams at least once.

Though he wasn’t at his free-flowing best against Walton, he found enough consistency when it mattered to get past the world No. 79 in their second ever meeting, improving to 2-0 overall.

“But overall, just happy,” Alcaraz said. “To be honest, I was ready for a good battle. But at the same time, a little bit unexpected for me the level he played. So I had to manage myself to be ready for that battle and just happy with the first level of the first match of the season,” he added.

Alcaraz showed his fighting spirit, especially in the second set, where he rallied from 1-3 to take control. Walton, hoping to reach the second round of his home Slam for the first time, pushed him for two hours and 13 minutes and caused problems with deep groundstrokes. But in the biggest moments, he couldn’t quite match the Spaniard.

Now working under coach Samuel Lopez, Alcaraz is chasing his seventh major title this fortnight. The champion of Roland Garros (2024, ’25), Wimbledon (2023, ’24), and the US Open (2022, ’25) will next face Yannick Hanfmann, after the German beat American qualifier Zachary Svajda 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3).

Carlos Alcaraz lights up the Australian Open with a shot fans won’t forget

The Spaniard looked sharp, blending speed and touch to keep the Aussie guessing all night. But the real highlight came in the second set. At 2-3, in the middle of a rally, Alcaraz sprinted forward, spun around, and ripped a stunning volley that brought the crowd to its feet at 15-0.

“How quick is this guy?!” the commentator shouted as fans erupted in disbelief. The win, Alcaraz’s first of the season, sent him into the second round in Melbourne for the fifth time. The energy in the stadium matched the moment, powered by a record-breaking Australian Open crowd.

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A total of 27,528 fans packed Rod Laver Arena for the first night session, on top of the earlier record of 73,235 during the day. That pushed total attendance to an incredible 100,763, smashing the previous mark of 97,132 set on Day 6 in 2025.

Tennis fever in Melbourne has rarely felt stronger, and Carlos Alcaraz was clearly pleased with his start.

Still, there’s room to clean things up. His 38 winners were nearly matched by 36 unforced errors, and he converted just four of his 10 break points, numbers he’ll be looking to improve when he meets Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann next.