Carlos Alcaraz set up a second-round meeting with Britain’s Oliver Tarvet as he came through a gruelling match against a fired-up Fabio Fognini, eventually winning 7-5 6-7(5) 7-5 2-6 6-1.
In a match that lasted almost five hours, the defending champion was put through his paces by his 38-year-old opponent, who may have been appearing at his final Wimbledon and played as though he had no time to waste.
The match was briefly paused in the final set as one spectator received some medical attention, and that offered a reminder of the scorching-hot temperatures the pair were playing through as they produced a classic on Centre Court.
Alcaraz became just the third men’s defending champions of the Open Era to need five sets in order to come through a first round match, the last being Roger Federer in 2010.
In beating Fognini, who was appearing at his 63rd Grand Slam but has only ever reached once quarter-final - the 2011 French Open - Alcaraz teed up a tasty-looking second-round encounter on Wednesday against British qualifier Tarvet, the world no733. Tarvet reached the second round on his Wimbledon debut by beating Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi in straight sets earlier on Monday.
Alcaraz was pushed all the way in a very evenly contested first set, as the Italian veteran stayed with him on serve until it’s final game, when the no2 seed broke to take it 7-5. There were even a handful of break points which came and went for Fognini, but each time Alcaraz did just enough to stay level, before eventually pulling away.
They proved a sign of things to come, as Fognini hung in the second set, too, before taking it via a tiebreak, 7-5, in which he needed four set points to get over the line.
Alcaraz did not play his best tennis but dug out another closely contested set in the third, again breaking down Fognini’s resistance to win 7-5 and head to a fourth.
However, Fognini was in inspired form, twice breaking the Alcaraz delivery and backing it up both times by holding, winning the fourth set by a comprehensive 6-2 scoreline to force a fifth and deciding set.
Once there, Alcaraz pulled clear at long, long last, winning 6-1 in a set paused at 3-0 in order for a fan suffering in the heat to receive medical attention. The Spaniard heads into the second round, where 21-year-old Tarvet awaits on Wednesday.
