CARLOS Alcaraz kicked off his grass-court season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Australian Adam Walton on Tuesday (Wednesday, June 18, 2025, PH time), securing his spot in the last 16.
This was Alcaraz’s first match since his grueling 5.5-hour French Open final win against Jannik Sinner nine days prior.
Alcaraz, the defending Wimbledon champion, was initially slated to play fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but Walton, a lucky loser, stepped in after Fokina withdrew due to illness. Despite the last-minute change, Walton, ranked 86th in the world, proved a formidable opponent.
“I realized that I was going to play against Adam after my warm-up... He has played a few matches already before this one. I think he played really great tennis,” said Alcaraz, who won Queen’s Club in 2023. “It surprised me a little bit. So I knew that I was going to struggle a little bit today, but just really happy to get the win.”
Walton showcased an aggressive style, holding serve against Alcaraz until the Spaniard finally found his rhythm on the grass, breaking to take a 4-3 lead in the first set.
Alcaraz, known for his all-court game, effectively used serve-and-volley tactics and delivered exquisite drop shots, closing out the first set with an ace.
The second set saw Walton continue to hold his own, even earning set points at 5-4.
However, Alcaraz held firm and ultimately dominated the tiebreak to seal the match. “I feel super happy to be back on grass. It is a special surface, a special place to me,” Alcaraz added.
In other matches, French qualifier Corentin Moutet pulled off a significant upset, saving a match point to defeat American third seed Taylor Fritz in a marathon battle, 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 7-5.
This marks only Moutet’s second career victory over a Top-10 opponent, and he will now face Britain’s Jacob Fearnley in the next round.
Home favorite Jack Draper delighted the crowd with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over American Jenson Brooksby, securing his first grass-court victory of the season.
Draper, who defeated Alcaraz in the second round last year, is aiming to improve on his quarter-final run.
“It’s tricky coming onto the grass after clay, to adapt, I’m hitting the ball a bit late, not on time,” Draper commented. “The more matches and time I have on practice courts, I’ll get better and better. It’s definitely a surface I really enjoy playing on.”
Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur was knocked out by Jiri Lehecka, losing 6-4, 6-2.
American sixth seed Ben Shelton, a semi-finalist in Stuttgart last week, also exited the tournament after a 7-6(5), 7-6(4) loss to French qualifier Arthur Rinderknech.
In an all-Australian clash, Alexei Popyrin edged out Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 6-7(9), 7-6(3). / FROM THE WIRES