World number one Carlos Alcaraz narrowly defeated David Goffin 4-6, 6-4 (10-8) in his first appearance after winning Wimbledon, helping Spain tie 1-1 with Belgium at the Hopman Cup for mixed teams on Friday. Transitioning from the grass courts, where he secured his second Grand Slam title at the All England Club last Sunday, to the clay courts in Nice, France, was not seamless for Alcaraz in his tournament debut. Alcaraz (20 years old) played his first match after Belgian Elise Mertens won 7-6, 2-6 (10-5) against her compatriot Rebeka Masarova, giving Belgium a 1-0 lead. Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion, dropped serve twice and lost the first set to his seasoned opponent. Goffin, ranked 111th in the world and who had defeated Alcaraz in their last encounter before the Hopman Cup, broke his opponent's serve at the start of the second set and managed to hold the break. However, Alcaraz rallied to level the score at 3-3 before going on to win the set, leading to a deciding tiebreaker where he overcame a 4-0 deficit to win the match. Alcaraz and Masarova, who is participating in place of the injured Paula Badosa, will face Goffin and Mertens in the mixed doubles later today.
In another match held on Friday, France tied with Switzerland 1-1 as Alizé Cornet defeated Céline Naef 1-6, 6-3 (10-8) before Richard Gasquet fell 3-6, 6-3 (10-8) to Leandro Riedi, leading both teams to a mixed doubles match to determine the winner. The winning team will advance to the final scheduled for the day after tomorrow, Sunday, after both teams defeated Denmark, which includes world number six Holger Rune. The tournament returns to the competition schedule after a four-year hiatus, having lost its slot prior to the Australian Open to the ATP Cup for men's teams, which did not last long.
