Alcaraz Survives Kuhn Scare In Hamburg

Carlos Alcaraz endured a rocky start to his Hamburg European Open debut on Tuesday afternoon, but the #NextGenATP Spaniard dug deep to complete a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) first-round win against German wild card Nicola Kuhn.

Alcaraz rallied impressively after he dropped the opening set to the World No. 259 Kuhn, whose aggressive tactics paid off in the early stages in northern Germany. The Spaniard combined consistency with some trademark moments of brilliance to level the match before holding his nerve in the deciding-set tie-break to improve his record on clay in 2022 to 21-2.

Prior to the tournament, Alcaraz had spoken of how he was using the extra pressure of playing as a top seed at an ATP Tour event for the first time as a source of motivation. Those words were put to the test immediately in Hamburg, where Alcaraz had to showcase grit and determination in the closing stages to hold off the 22-year-old Kuhn.

“It was tough. I mean, the first round in every tournament is tough,” said Alcaraz, who was playing his first match since his run to the fourth round at Wimbledon. “I came from the grass, and the difference was too much. I’m really happy to be [through to] the second round. I’m sure that I will be better in the next round, but I’m really happy with the win.”

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After triumphing in Rio de Janeiro in February and Barcelona in April, Alcaraz is chasing a clean sweep of this season’s clay-court ATP 500 events in Hamburg, while the 19-year-old has also lifted ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid in a stellar 2022 season. Despite his slow start against Kuhn, the Spaniard was pleased with how he had reacted strongly to clinch his 36th tour-level win of the year.

“I knew that I wasn’t playing well, so I knew I was going to have my chances to get better in the second set," said Alcaraz. "Try not to miss as much as I did in the first set. I’m really happy with the change that I put in in the second set.”

Despite the narrow margin of his victory, Alcaraz was effective on return throughout his two-hour, 26-minute win. The Spaniard carved out 10 break point opportunities, converting two of them, while he also came forward frequently and demonstrated quick hands at the net to keep Kuhn under pressure.

Alcaraz’s next assignment in Hamburg, where he is seeking to become the first player to win five Tour titles in 2022, is a second-round meeting with Filip Krajinovic. The Serbian came through a first-round thriller of his own on Tuesday, when he prevailed 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6) against Sebastian Baez.

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