Rotterdam, Feb. 5 -- Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz had a tough debut at the Rotterdam Open, securing a hard-fought win against Dutch wild card Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday, according to the ATP Tour website.

Alcaraz was put through paces, but secured a tough 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 win against Botic to make it to the second round. Alcaraz, who was stunned by Botic during the US Open second round last year, struggled to find his perfect game throughout the match but managed to dominate well in the final set to secure a win in two hours and 33 minutes.

Speaking after the match, Alcaraz said as quoted by the official ATP website, "I think there were a lot of ups and downs in the match. Being set point down in the first set, I think B...