ROME — Carlos Alcaraz returned from a brief injury layoff and didn't appear to have any issues during a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic at the Italian Open on Friday.
The third-ranked Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open last month due to an upper right leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final. He also had a left leg injury.
Against Lajovic, Alcaraz wore a long black brace that covered the upper portion of his right leg and stretched down to just below his knee.
"The body felt great," Alcaraz said. "I just moved well. I made a few good sprints today without any pain. ... It was a test for me so I think I passed the test today."
"It was a great performance, great level, which was surprising for me a little bit, but just really happy for that," Alcaraz added.
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Alcaraz won the opening four games but dropped his serve when he served for the first set at 5-2. The Spaniard broke back in the next game to close it out, showing off his speed on the clay court at the Foro Italico when he ran down a drop shot and produced a backhand winner on one key point.
Alcaraz also went ahead early in the second set. He finished with the same number of winners as unforced errors — 24.
Alcaraz, who won the Monte Carlo Masters in April, improved to 10-1 on clay this season. He'll next face either 31st-seeded Alex Michelsen or Laslo Djere.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz is preparing to defend his title at the French Open, which starts May 25.
The Rome tournament also marks the return of top-ranked Jannik Sinner from a three-month doping ban.
Sinner and Alcaraz are in opposite sides of the draw.
Sinner opens against 99th-ranked Mariano Navone on Saturday.
In the women's tournament, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka opened with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Anastasia Potapova.
Sabalenka beat Coco Gauff in the Madrid final last weekend.
In a night match, Gauff needed to rally for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over 156th-ranked Canadian qualifier Victoria Mboko.
The 18-year-old Mboko, a semifinalist at the Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior tournaments in 2022, gave Gauff trouble at the start with her solid baseline game.
Djokovic to play at Geneva
GENEVA — Novak Djokovic is coming to the Geneva Open for the second straight year as he seeks a first win on clay this season ahead of Roland Garros.
Geneva organizers said Friday that Djokovic will play at the May 17-24 tournament, a last warmup event for players going to Paris for the French Open.
The sixth-ranked Djokovic, seeking his 100th singles title on tour, has an 0-2 record in the European clay-court season after making quick exits at Monte Carlo and Madrid.
The Geneva lineup includes No. 4-ranked Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud, the defending champion who has won three of the last four editions at the lakeside park club.
Djokovic could again celebrate his birthday in Geneva as he turns 38 on May 22.
Last year he was eliminated in the Geneva semifinals by Tomas Machac, then advanced through four rounds in Paris. He withdrew citing a knee injury ahead of meeting Ruud in the quarterfinals and lost his No. 1 ranking.
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