ROME (Reuters) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz marked his Italian Open debut by shaking off a sluggish start to emerge with an efficient 6-4 6-1 second-round win over unseeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas on a rain-affected Saturday in Rome.
Barcelona and Madrid champion Alcaraz, who is chasing his fifth title of 2023 and fourth on clay ahead of Roland Garros, overcame an early loss of serve amid heavy conditions at the Foro Italico to level up the opening set at 2-2.
The 20-year-old, who had a first-round bye, earned another opportunity to break Ramos-Vinolas with a deft drop shot in an intense 10th game and took the advantage in the match when his compatriot cracked under pressure and sent a forehand long.
Alcaraz continued to build momentum and raced ahead 3-0 in the second set against a fading Ramos-Vinolas, wrapping up the match on serve to make it 12 wins in a row.
Monte Carlo champion Andrey Rublev earlier overcame Alex Molcan 6-3 6-4 in a twice-interrupted match to book his place in the third round.
Rublev’s Russian compatriot Daniil Medvedev will not have that luxury, however, and will seek a first win in Rome when he opens his campaign against Finn Emil Ruusuvuori on Sunday after rain forced play to be suspended late in the evening.
Alexander Zverev, the 2017 champion, will also be in action against David Goffin, while fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will resume his match with Nuno Borges from 6-3 4-3.