Roma – Carlos Alcaraz returns from a brief injury layoff to beat Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 at the Italian Open on Friday.
No. 3 Alcaraz exited from Madrid Open last month because of a disease in the upper right leg that bothered him in the Barcelona Open final. He also suffered a left leg injury.
In the match against Lajovic, Alcaraz wore a long black support covering the upper part of his right leg and stretched under his knees.
Alcaraz won the opening four games but dropped his serve when he finished 5-2 in the first set. The Spaniard finished the game again in the next match, showing off his speed on Foro Italico’s clay court when he shot down a shot and won the backhand title at a key point.
Alcaraz also continued to move forward early in the second set.
Alcaraz won the Monte Carlo Masters in April and improved 10-1 on Clay this season. Next, he will face the No. 31 seed Alex Michelsen or Laslo Djere.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is preparing to defend his title at the French Open which begins on May 25.
The Rome Championship also marks the return of top-ranked Jannik Sinner of the three-month doping ban.
The Sinner and Alcaraz are in the relative aspect of the draw.
Sinner faced off on Saturday against Mariano Navone, No. 99.
In the Women’s Championship, the highest ranked Aryna Sabalenka opened with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Anastasia Potapova.
