Alcaraz has new Queen’s Club first-round opponent, reacts to news

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz has new Queen’s Club first-round opponent, reacts to news

Spaniard will face lucky loser Walton in R1 after Davidovich Fokina withdrew

ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images Carlos Alcaraz prepares for his opener in west London with coach Samuel Lopez watching on. By Jerome Coombe

Carlos Alcaraz will now face Australia’s Adam Walton in the first round at the HSBC Championships on Tuesday after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina withdrew due to illness.

The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz had just finished his 30-minute practice session with Jordan Thompson at noon when he found out the news. The Spaniard looked over at Thompson — Walton’s countryman — to give a nod of appreciation and wry smile before packing up and playing a spot of tennis golf with his team.

Davidovich Fokina got married on Saturday in Marbella, Spain, before travelling to London to compete at the ATP 500 event. Alcaraz's practise partner Thompson is also his potential second-round opponent: The Australian faces Jaume Munar in his opener.

Alcaraz owns a 6-1 record at Queen’s Club, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, having triumphed on his debut in 2023 before falling to home favourite Jack Draper in the second round last year. Lucky loser Walton, who is making his main-draw debut, is yet to face Alcaraz in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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