Five years after his last appearance at the Erste Bank Open, Carlos Alcaraz returned to Centre Court at Vienna’s Stadthalle on Tuesday. In the first round, the Spaniard faced Karen Khachanov, who produced powerful serves and strong groundstrokes from the outset to create an entertaining contest.

Khachanov put Alcaraz under pressure early and broke for a 3-2 lead in the opening set. The 2024 Vienna finalist then moved 40-0 ahead on serve as he attempted to consolidate the break. However, Alcaraz turned the game around and immediately broke back. An intense battle featuring several spectacular rallies developed, with both players fighting for every point. Alcaraz increasingly found his rhythm, used his dynamic game to put Khachanov under pressure and claimed the first set 6-4 after 51 minutes.

The two players also remained evenly matched in the second set. Alcaraz appeared slightly more powerful and quicker at times, but Khachanov continued to respond with his aggressive game. The Spaniard earned three match points with Khachanov serving at 4-5, but was unable to convert any of them. Khachanov held for 5-5 before breaking to move 6-5 ahead.

Serving to level the match, Khachanov fell 0-40 behind. Alcaraz broke back to love, sending the set into a tie-break. Neither player was initially able to pull clear before Alcaraz produced a spectacular passing shot at 5-4. He then converted his fourth match point with a delicate drop volley.

“It was really, really close. I would say it came down to a few points,” Alcaraz said after his 6-4, 7-6(5) victory. “I am really happy that I played great tennis and took the chances he gave me during the match.”

Alcaraz is now through to the round of 16, where he could face Jurij Rodionov if the Austrian defeats Nikoloz Basilashvili on Wednesday.

Paul celebrates 250th win – Mannarino completes comeback

In the opening match on Centre Court, Tommy Paul recorded his 250th win on the ATP Tour with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over former Vienna champion Andrey Rublev and advanced to a round-of-16 meeting with Luciano Darderi. At the Marx Halle, qualifier Adrian Mannarino recovered after losing the opening set 6-0 against Ignacio Buse to win 0-6, 7-5, 6-4 and set up a round-of-16 clash with Jakub Mensik.