ROME — Carlos Alcaraz returned from a brief injury layoff with 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.
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.
