Carlos Alcaraz won his opening match at the Vienna Open on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over Karen Khachanov, while Alexander Zverev survived four match points to beat Martin Landaluce in a marathon encounter.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning against Russia’s Karen Khachanov (not in picture) during the Erste Bank Open 2026 ATP 500 tennis tournament in Vienna (AFP) World number three Alcaraz saw off the former eighth-ranked Russian 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in their first-round meeting.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion decided to add the 500-level event in the Austrian capital to his schedule at short notice, having not competed in it since 2021.
Sidelined from mid-April to the end of August due to a wrist injury, Alcaraz has produced mixed results since his return, including a third-round exit at the Shanghai Masters in his last tournament at the start of October.
“I really enjoyed it, even though I had to run, had to fight, had to sweat a lot. We both played great shots, great points. I would say it was a great match to watch and I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz had to dig deep against the 30-year-old power-hitter, recovering from a break down to take the first set.
In a closely contested second frame, Alcaraz prevailed in a tight tie-break with a perfectly weighted drop
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