Alcaraz, Sabalenka cruise to wins at the Italian Open

CARLOS Alcaraz kicked off his bid for a first Italian Open title by cruising past Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 in Rome on Friday on his return to action from a thigh injury.

- AGENCIES @ Rome

World number three Alcaraz got past Lajovic in one hour and 23 minutes in his first match since suffering the injury in his Barcelona Open final defeat to Holger Rune last month. The Spaniard showed some signs of ring rustiness with 22 unforced errors but still managed to win the first four games of the match to give Lajovic too much to do in the first set. And Alcaraz closed out the match in professional style with another quick start in the second set which put him three games ahead, allowing him to serve out for the win.