The new Carlos Alcaraz makes Australian Open debut: How he looks after coaching change

Carlos Alcaraz picked up right where he left off. With the same sense of control that defined last season, the best of his career, Alcaraz earned his first official win since parting ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, opening his Australian Open campaign with a composed victory over local favorite Adam Walton.

Playing in Melbourne against a home player, the world No. 1 once again proved an immovable obstacle for Australians. Alcaraz improved to a perfect 13-0 against Aussie opponents, easing through his opener 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-2 in 2 hours, 5 minutes.

“It makes me really happy to step on court for the first time this season,” Alcaraz said afterward. “There’s no better place to do it. It was a great match.”

Alcaraz extends first-round record

The Spaniard remains unbeaten in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments and has never lost to a home player at a major, now 6-0 in those situations. With this win, he also reached 85 career victories at tennis’ biggest events.

Court-level support came from Samuel Lopez, newly promoted to head coach, alongside Alcaraz’s brother Alvaro, physio Juanjo Moreno and agent Albert Molina. The rest of the team and several family members, led by his father, watched from the stands.

It is the group that backed the coaching change and is guiding the six-time major champion at the start of a season that could see him complete a career Grand Slam in Melbourne, the one major title still missing from his resume.

Who will Carlos Alcaraz play in the second round of the Australian Open?

Up next is Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, 34, ranked No. 102, who advanced by beating American Zachary Svajda 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in 2 hours, 51 minutes. The second-round match is scheduled for Wednesday.

All eyes on Alcaraz serve

One of the most closely watched elements of Alcaraz’s game was his serve, an ongoing project that now features a motion reminiscent of Novak Djokovic’s. The early signs were positive.

Alcaraz fired eight aces, landed 67 percent of his first serves and won 77 percent of points behind them. He also claimed 67 percent of points on second serve. His average serve speeds checked in at roughly 119 mph on first serves and 102 mph on seconds, with a top speed around 130 mph. Solid numbers, especially for a season debut.

How Alcaraz defeated Walton

Those metrics translated into control on court. Alcaraz secured the opening set with a break in the eighth game, then navigated a tighter second set that went to a tiebreak after he was broken for the first and only time all match.

Walton, 26 and ranked No. 79, competed hard during that stretch but lacked the weapons to sustain the challenge. Alcaraz had beaten him last season at Queen’s Club, and the pattern repeated itself in Melbourne.

The third set was routine. A break for 4-2 put Alcaraz firmly on course, and he closed out the match with another late break, allowing him to look ahead with confidence as the level of opposition rises.

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