Alcaraz knocks Walton aside as his career Grand Slam bid begins in Melbourne

Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his final bid for a career Grand Slam by dismantling unseeded Australian Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday (Jan. 18, 2026), as the world number one demonstrated the power and precision befitting a player chasing history.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, who could eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four major singles titles at least once, gave a packed Rod Laver Arena an exhibition in shotmaking that had fans glued to their seats or bursting into ovation.

“I’m very happy to take the field for the first time this season. I don’t think it can be better than here at Rod Laver Arena. It was a good match, I felt great,” said Alcaraz.

“Adam (showed) a great level in the match, so I had to stay there. Overall, I’m happy with the level I played at today.”

“It was difficult to find good spots (against him)… he was always in a good position, long rallies and solid from the baseline. His flat ball was very difficult for me at times.”

“It was a really solid game, and when he was able to get on the field and play aggressively, he did that, and that made it very difficult in the game.”

A ferocious forehand helped Alcaraz grab the first break and take a 5-3 lead, and the six-time Grand Slam champion closed the opening set with his revamped serve, which now bears more than a passing resemblance to Novak Djokovic’s delivery.

That technical adjustment followed Alcaraz’s abrupt split last month from former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, whose steadying influence was missing as the Spaniard was dragged into a second-set tiebreak after a period of loose, crowd-pleasing tennis.

A ruthless Alcaraz came out all guns blazing to double his lead in the clash and then used the momentum to power through the third set, booking a second-round meeting with German Yannick Hanfmann.

In contrast to his title successes at the other Grand Slams, the 22-year-old never advanced beyond the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.

“The last two years I played very good tennis, but in the quarterfinals I lost to (Alexander) Zverev and (Novak) Djokovic,” the top seed told reporters.

“I think it is unusual to play (such) players in a quarter-final when you are (number) one or two in the world.

“But that’s no excuse. I just really want to do better than I have in recent years. I just feel like this year… I’ll probably get a chance to go further.”