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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 48114, member: 636"] Carlos Alcaraz nearly crashed out of Wimbledon during his first match Monday. The defending champion barely survived against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini on Centre Court. Alcaraz struggled through five brutal sets before winning 7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. The marathon battle lasted four hours and thirty-seven minutes under blazing heat. Fognini gave the Spanish star his toughest opening round test ever. Alcaraz made a shocking 62 unforced errors during the messy performance. The 22-year-old tennis ace looked nothing like the player who conquered Novak Djokovic twice before. Centre Court witnessed the hottest opening day temperatures that Wimbledon has ever recorded. No defending champion had been pushed to five sets during round one since Roger Federer faced trouble back during 2010. Alcaraz finally found his rhythm when he broke serve early during the deciding set. The Spanish superstar chases his third consecutive Wimbledon crown this summer. He has never lost a Grand Slam opening round match across 18 career attempts. Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner during an epic French Open final just weeks ago after falling behind two sets. His grass court record shows 30 wins against only three losses at tour level. British qualifier Oliver Tarvet awaits him during the second round. Alcaraz could join tennis legends like Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras with three straight Wimbledon titles. Victory would make him the second youngest player ever to claim six Grand Slam trophies. The defending champion admitted he must improve his return game and forehand before facing Tarvet. [/QUOTE]

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