Photo credit: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Facebook
Carlos Alcaraz spent his Rome return remodeling.
Blasting holes in Dusan Lajovic’s defense in the opening set, Alcaraz hit a confounding kick serve with so much angle the Serbian crashed into the side fence trying to return it.
An explosive Alcaraz drove Lajovic up the wall scoring a 6-3, 6-3 triumph to roll into the Rome third round.
"Well, today was a great match, great start of the tournament," Alcaraz told the media in Rome. "Honestly, I expect, let's say, worse match from my side. But I just really, really happy. The most important thing was the injury. I was going in the match if I was going to feel it or not.
"Today was great. I made few sprint, I move great today without any pain, which is great.
"So it was a great day."
Alcaraz, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday the same day Aryna Sabalenka turned 27, made a welcome return to Rome’s red clay. Alcaraz raised his 2025 record to 25-5—he's the first man to 25 victories this season—including a 10-1 mark on red dirt.
Wearing a black brace wrapping around his right knee, Alcaraz, who withdrew from Madrid last month due to adductor issue, covered the court smoothly and detonated some rocket forehand strikes down the line.
It was Alcaraz’s first match since he bowed to Holger Rune in last month’s Barcelona final. Alcaraz broke serve four times, clubbed 24 winners—nine more than his opponent—and never trailed today.
The third-seeded Spaniard will face Serbian Laslo Djere in round three. Alcaraz is 2-0 lifetime vs. Djere, who defeated 31st-seeded American Alex Michelsen 6-0, 6-3.
Intent on imposing his game early, Alcaraz broke the Serbian twice in a row to start his Rome return.
Conjuring a slick forehand drop shot winner sealed Alcaraz’s 4-0 lead. At that point, it seemed the Spaniard might dish out a bagel.
Credit Lajovic for finding a way to extend points and holding at 15 to finally get on the board in the fifth game.
Employing his net skills, Alcaraz won a rapid-fire mano-a-mano faceoff at net with a backhand volley to earn set point. Lajovic wiped it away with an ace.
An overly-ambitious Lajovic missed a big backhand swing volley from the backcourt to face a second set point. This time, Alcaraz jolted out a forehand error from the Serbian snatching the 43-minute opening set.
Bounding around the red clay with the freedom of a college kid relishing the first day of spring break, Alcaraz earned break point in the second game of the second set. When Lajovic lined a low backhand into net, the Roland Garros champion went up 6-3, 2-0.
The Serbian’s one-handed backhand is a versatile shot and Lajovic showed it sliding a backhand winner down the line for his first hold of the second set.
Creative combustibility on the run is an Alcaraz asset. The Wimbledon winner showed it whipping a superb forehand strike he ended with a slide stretching his lead to 6-3, 4-1 after only 66 minutes of play.
It wasn’t a flawless performance. Alcaraz badly bungled a routine volley that would have given him a double-break lead in the sixth game. Instead, Lajovic dodged the dilemma and held for 2-4.
Still, a commanding Alcaraz was in control. Alcaraz swept a sharp-angled backhand crosscourt ending a one hour, 22-minute triumph with a bang and a hug and encouraging words for Lajovic.
This was Alcaraz’s first Rome win since he beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his 2023 Foro Italico debut. Now, Alcaraz continues his quest to join king of clay Rafa Nadal, Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic, Guga Kuerten and Marcelo Rios as just the fifth man to win three different ATP Masters 1000 crowns on clay.