Carlos Alcaraz made his return to the tennis courts at the 2024 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires after his last appearance at the Australian Open. He secured a convincing straight-sets victory, marking his comeback to competitive play.

Alcaraz’s absence from the courts followed his unexpected loss to Alexander Zverev in Melbourne. Despite uncertainty regarding his return, it was clear he would not compete in indoor tournaments in Europe, as they are not his preferred playing surface. Instead, he opted to defend his title at the Buenos Aires event, where he had triumphed the previous year after a lengthy injury hiatus.

The choice of surface suited Alcaraz’s playing style, evident from his performance upon returning. Despite his period of inactivity, he displayed top form, comfortably defeating local player Camilo Ugo Carabelli with a score of 6-2. While his serving may have been subpar in the opening set, Alcaraz dominated rallies, showcasing his prowess on the court. Ugo Carabelli, while a solid player, primarily operates at the ATP Challenger level and has limited ATP Tour experience.

The Spaniard targeted his opponent’s second serve right from the start, capitalizing on those situations to create numerous opportunities which he effectively utilized. However, the beginning of the second set didn’t fare well for Alcaraz as he immediately lost his serve, a recurring pattern in recent matches.

Alcaraz displayed erratic momentum shifts during the match, a contrast to his earlier career performances. Despite initially losing ground, he swiftly rebounded to break back, eventually gaining a commanding 5-2 lead.

Despite appearing to cruise towards a straightforward victory with a score of 6-2, 5-2, and holding multiple match points, the home player managed to inject drama into the match. He leveled the score at 5-5 and even had three break points at 0-40 in the eleventh game.