By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday January 13, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz remained perfect in first-round matches at Grand Slams with a straight sets win over Alexander Shevchenko.
Photo Source: TTV
Carlos Alcaraz had a successful start to the 2025 season on Monday night in Melbourne, the third-seeded Spaniard notching a 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko.

Alcaraz’s victory sets a second-round clash with Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan.
The 21-year-old came through Monday’s battle without too much struggle, but he did lose the plot momentarily in the second set as Shevchenko reeled off two consecutive breaks to rally from 3-1 down to 5-3 up.
He said he tried to remain calm and simply recover the form that he took into the match. It worked.
"That is something that is in my mind, like not be mad, just try to recover the good rhythm again," Alcaraz told reporters. "That's what I try in the second set. As I said, it's the first match of the season. I think what happened was normal, to lose the focus a little bit. I just want to try not happen again in the next round."
Alcaraz responded by taking the final four games of the set to take a two sets to one lead.
Alcaraz finished by winning 10 of the final 11 games as he sauntered to victory in one hour and 54 minutes. He improved to a perfect 16-0 in first-round matches at majors with his win.
He said he wasn't particularly happy with his serve. He has streamlined his motion with the hope of having better rhythm and making a higher percentage of first serves, but he says he still needs time to assimilate the technical changes he has made.
Serve still a "Struggle"
"I struggle a little bit. Is something that I'm still thinking about it," he admitted.
Alcaraz made 59 percent of his first serves and won just 69 percent of those points.
"A lot of things comes to my mind when I'm going to serve," he added. "I have to get it natural or as natural as it can. I just struggle with the percentage of the first serve. That's something that I want to get higher. Hopefully in the next days is going to be better. I think it's normal. New things is tough to feel natural on it. I think in the next few days it's going to be better."
Alcaraz recorded his best Grand Slam result by reaching the quarterfinals last year. If he can manage the title this year he would become the youngest player to ever win the Career Grand Slam, and the youngest Australian Open champion since Novak Djokovic in 2008.
He hit 38 winners against 26 unforced errors on the day, and converted eight of 19 break points.