Carlos Alcaraz started his Vienna Open campaign by defeating Karen Khachanov in straight sets in the first round.

The pair played at an exceptional level as Alcaraz edged the Russian star 6-4, 7-6 to confirm his place in the second round of the ATP 500 tournament.

Alcaraz will await the winner of Nikoloz Basilashvili or Jurij Rodionov in the second round of the tournament as he continues to gear up for the ATP Finals at the end of the season.

The first round match between Alcaraz and Khachanov was played out in front of a packed-out crowd in the Austrian capital and the Spaniard was full of praise for the fans in attendance.

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“It was amazing. It was amazing, to be honest. I didn’t really know why I loved playing here in 2021. I left the court, left this tournament, thinking this crowd has something special. I experienced that today. Packed stadium. It was incredible.

“I really enjoyed it, even though I had to run, I had to fight, I had to sweat a lot. But I enjoyed. We both played great stuff, great points. I would say it was a great match to watch, so really happy about it. I was playing great. I was playing good.”

Alcaraz has match points at 6-5 up in the second set, but he couldn’t convert, which ended up being one of the very small areas the Spaniard could improve him.

Speaking about them after the match, Alcaraz said: “Those match points, I would say I could play them a little bit better. I would say I overplayed a couple of match points. And then it was a few mistakes, but I was still happy.

“I’m pleased about the level I was playing. Still fighting, still being strong mentally, and trying to give myself other chances. I think I did it in the 6-5, took the break point I had, happy about it, and I would say it was a good tie-break.”

As a result of his victory against Khachanov, Alcaraz extended his head-to-head record against the Russian star to 7-0.

That means Alcaraz’s record against Khachanov is now his most dominant head-to-head record on the ATP Tour.

Alcaraz also holds a 6-0 record against Alex de Minaur, Arthur Rinderknech, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, so there are many players who have never managed to unlock the Alcaraz puzzle.

The Spaniard’s next match is set to take place on Thursday, 29th October with the order of play yet to be confirmed by the Vienna Open.