After beating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic earlier this month, Alcaraz has been earmarked as a potential outsider to triumph at Roland Garros.
But the sixth seed was close to an early second-round exit against Ramos-Vinolas – first when he got a match point in the fourth set, then again when he trailed 0-3 in the fifth.
“I believed in myself all the time,” Alcaraz told reporters. “Of course it was tough… but I believed in myself.”
It took guts and determination for Alcaraz to stay in the game, and on numerous occasions he raced across the field to save points that seemed lost.
He might look back and think about the 23 breakpoints he failed to convert, while Ramos-Vinolas was much more clinical in winning six of his seven breakpoints.
But Alcaraz, who faces American Sebastian Korda in the third round on Friday, batted out 74 winners – thanks in large part to his excellent forehand – over the course of the four-hour and 34-minute encounter.
“I am still young, but I would say now that I am an experienced player,” said Alcaraz.
“I’m comfortable playing in big stadiums, big matches, grand slams. Physically I’m strong, mentally I’m strong too, so I think I’m ready to play these kinds of games in these situations, these tournaments.”
Another top player who went to five sets in the men’s on Wednesday was third seed Alexander Zverev, who also saved a match point when he defeated Sebastian Baez 2-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 7-5.
Zverev was broken four times in the first two sets before recovering with four breaks of his own in the third and fourth set.
A tight fifth set looked to favor Baez as he moved a breakup and then had a match point at 5-4, but Zverev, a semifinalist at last year’s French Open, fought back and captured the crucial break to secure at 5-5.
“You just have to find a way,” Zverev said. “You talk about mental strength, you talk about some players – the great ones, Roger (Federer), Rafa (Nadal), Novak (Djokovic) – they always find a way in the most difficult moments.
“That’s why they are who they are. I’ll never be at their level, but I’m trying to get closer to them and it’s definitely something you should do.”
There were more direct victories for Nadal and Djokovic in the second round with the former aiming for his 14th French Open title, beating Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-1 6-4, and the latter bidding for his third , defeated Alex Molcan 6-2 6-3 7-6.
Nadal, who played in his 300th Grand Slam game, has been injured for several months since winning the Australian Open in January. “I just enjoy being at Roland Garros, the most important tournament of the year for me,” he said.
Djokovic, meanwhile, looked set to advance to the third round against Molcan, but was pushed to a third set tiebreaker in what he believes were heady, challenging conditions.
He will face Aljaz Bedene the following Friday as he continues his title defense.
In the women’s draw, defending US Open champion Emma Raducanu said she treats each defeat as a “lesson” to identify “where I went wrong, where I can improve,” as they finished 3-6 6-1 6-1. lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
In her first battle on clay, 19-year-old Raducanu struggled with injuries ahead of her French Open debut, but also said she “got stronger” on the surface as the season progressed. She then turns her attention to the grass and her home Wimbledon grand slam next month.
