Second seed Carlos Alcaraz cruised past World No. 59 Alexander Shevchenko with a 6-2, 6-1 win after 68 minutes, sealing a stunning performance on home soil.
In his on-court interview, he shared: “I think I did pretty well, honestly.”
Adding: “The last month, I just practiced slices, volleys, and backhands, so I think it worked pretty well today. That was something I was thinking about approaching this match. Trying to hit the forehand softer, let’s say, and trying to be aggressive with the backhand, trying to crash the net as soon as possible. I think I did a really good match in that part.”
The two-time Mutua Madrid Open defending champion will next face Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, who put out 28th seed Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets earlier on Friday.
The former world number one broke to open the first set, holding onto his advantage.
He dictated the rhythm from the onset at an electrifying pace, moving his adversary side to side of the court at the Manolo Santana Stadium.
The 20-year-old produced a double break in the fifth game, and then Shevchenko found breathing room to break straight back, narrowing the gap to 2-4.
However, his comeback attempt would be short-lived as the Indian Wells reigning champion broke in the seventh game, coming forward to generate spectacular volleys.
With his superb, high-quality skillset on full display, the Spaniard damaged his opponent with his powerful forehand on his way to wrap up the opener 6-2 in just 36 minutes.
A clinical tennis display saw the World No. 2 hitting 15 winners and ten unforced errors, while his rival failed to adjust his game, committing nine unforced errors and zero winners.
The 23-year-old from Kazakhstan soon found himself two games down in the second set, misfiring at crucial moments.
Alcaraz, contesting his first match on the red clay surface after pulling out from Monte-Carlo and Barcelona due to a right forearm injury, extended his lead with a double break in the third game.
Once again, the players exchanged breaks of serve before the Murcia born broke back to close out 6-1 in control of the match.
Alcaraz finished with 24 winners and 15 unforced errors compared to Shevchenko’s 2 and 19, respectively.
Moreover, he won 65 percent of the first-serve points and 86 percent of the points at the net.
On Sunday, the defending champion will meet Seyboth Wild for the first time at tour level.