Carlos Alcaraz had to fight his way out of a second-set slump on Sunday to escape with a 6-1, 2-5, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open.

The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since a runner-up finish to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian.

But he regained his intensity — and cut down his errors in the third. Alcaraz fired his seventh ace to set up a match point and advanced to the third round seconds later as his opponent fired wide.