Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, playing his first match since completing the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, shook off two set points while defeating France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Tuesday in Doha.
Rinderknech had two chances to finish the second set, but the Spaniard won both to force a tiebreaker, which he then won. Alcaraz hadn’t faced a break point in the match until that moment. All seeded players in action on Tuesday advanced to the second round. No. 5 Andrey Rublev of Russia beat the Netherlands’ Jesper De Jong 6-4, 6-3; No. 7 Karen Khachanov of Russia topped Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1, 3-6, 6-4; and No. 8 Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic ousted the United States’ Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-3.
Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics and Fabian Marozsan, France’s Quentin Halys, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and China’s Zhizhen Zhang also advanced.
Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic began his title defense with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Mattia Bellucci in the first round at Delray Beach, Fla.
Kecmanovic won 12 of 20 points on Bellucci’s second serve while never facing break point on his own serve.
Seventh-seeded Brandon Nakashima of the United States slipped past Croatia’s Marin Cilic 7-6, (4), 7-6 (5). In all-U.S. matchups, Sebastian Korda dumped Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 7-5, and qualifier Zachary Svajda toppled Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (4), 6-3. Spain’s Rafael Jodar and Adam Walton also posted straight-set wins.
In the last match of the night, fifth-seeded Tommy Paul of the U.S. outlasted France’s Corentin Moutet 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Paul survived despite failing to convert on 10 straight match points late in the third set before finally earning the victory.
Top-seeded Francisco Cerundolo, eighth-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Roman Andres Burruchaga logged first-round victories in all-Argentine matchups at Rio de Janeiro. Cerundolo bested Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4, and Etcheverry overtook Francisco Comesana 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Burruchaga upset fifth-seeded Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 6-4.
Two other seeds fell, as Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo eliminated No. 2 Luciano Darderi of Italy 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, and Portugal’s Jaime Faria knocked out No. 4 Sebastian Baez of Argentina 7-5, 6-1. Third-seeded Joao Fonseca of Brazil, Matteo Berrettini of Italy, Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas also recorded victories.