World number two Carlos Alcaraz (19) ended his near four-month injury layoff with a 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over Laslo Djere (27) at the Argentina Open on Wednesday.
Playing under the lights in Buenos Aires, Spaniard Alcaraz dominated with his heavy baseline blows and drop shots to seal his first victory since suffering an abdominal injury at the Paris Masters in November.
"It's a great feeling to win again," Alcaraz said. "It's been a long time for me with no competition, with no matches, just recovering. Finally I got my first win of 2023."
The teenager, who pulled out of the Australian Open due to a leg injury and lost the number-one ranking to Novak Djokovic, will face Dusan Lajovic in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event.