Teenage Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz said the best part about being touted as the future of Grand Slam tennis was that he is realizing a "dream that is not for everyone."

The 19-year-old defeated Argentine "lucky loser" Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the second round of the French Open on Sunday.

Bidding to become just the eighth teenager to capture a major men's title, he is tipped to end the dominance of 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal and two-time winner Novak Djokovic.

"I would say the best thing about being Carlos right now is that I'm reaching my dream," said Alcaraz, who reached the third round in Paris a year ago on his main-draw debut as a qualifier.

"I'm really happy with playing tennis. Playing these kind of tournaments, these kind of stadium, is not for everyone, so I would say that is the best thing."

The sixth seed will play compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas for a place in the last 32.

"I have been watching this tournament many years. It's a unique place to play, and I have been dreaming of playing here," said Alcaraz.

He broke Londero in the 10th game of a tight opening set, then ran away with the match by breaking five more times over the next two sets on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Alcaraz, who was ranked 97 this time last year, has won a tour-leading four titles this season, three on clay in Rio, Barcelona and Madrid, where he defeated Nadal, Djokovic and Alexander Zverev to lift the trophy.
Despite his rapid ascent, Alcaraz is doing his best to focus on the basics and put all the extra attention he is receiving to one side.

"I am trying to be focused just on the tournaments, on the matches," he said.

"(With) everyone talking about you, just focus on what I have to improve, what I have to do on the matches, what I have to do in the every day to be ready in the tournament."

Arab trailblazer Ons Jabeur, seen as a potential champion this year, despite never having previously gotten past the fourth round, was the opening day's highest-profile casualty when she lost 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 to Poland's 56th-ranked Magda Linette.

Jabeur came into the event with a season-leading 17 wins on clay, the prestigious Madrid title and a runners-up spot to world number one Iga Swiatek in Rome.

However, she was undone by 47 unforced errors in the two-hour-and-28-minute match.

"Obviously, I was expecting better. But we say maybe something happens bad because there is something good happening in the future," said Jabeur.

Linette had lost to Jabeur in the third round in 2021 having stunned an injury-hit top seed Ashleigh Barty in her previous match.

"I just tried to stay focused after the first set and tried to make her uncomfortable," said Linette.

Two-time runner-up Dominic Thiem, whose ranking has slipped to 194 after a lengthy battle with a wrist injury, was another early casualty, losing 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to 87th-ranked Hugo Dellien of Bolivia.

Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, has yet to win a match in six attempts since his return in March. He has now lost 10 tour-level matches in a row. His last victory came in Rome just over a year ago.

The 28-year-old, a former world number three, reached at least the quarterfinals at Roland Garros five years running from 2016 to 2020. He finished runner-up to Nadal in 2018 and 2019.

"It's not the greatest feeling to go in a Grand Slam knowing that all is not perfect in practice," said the Austrian.