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Much-hyped teenager Carlos Alcaraz looked the goods in his first grand slam appearance, winning his opening round match at Melbourne Park in straight sets.

Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish teen anointed as heir to Rafael Nadal's throne, lived up to the hype in his grand slam debut.

The youngest player in the mens's draw, the 17-year-old made a winning start in the majors, moving into the Australian Open second round with a straight-sets victory over Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-1 6-4 6-4.

Alcaraz started with a bang, dropping just nine points in the first set against the fellow qualifier, and became the the youngest man to win a grand slam match since Thanasi Kokkinakis at the 2014 Australian Open.

Coached by former world No.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz said he was delighted with his performance after training with his idol Nadal through the week.

"Before the match, I warm up and I be nervous, but I played the first game and second game like not very relax, but then I play very good," Alcaraz said.

"I felt really, really good.

"I got the experience. I'm excited to play my second round."

The teen will next play Swede Mikael Ymer, who upset 26th seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3.

Alcaraz said he learnt from his sessions with Nadal to train at intensity from start to finish.

"He hit the ball very hard - each ball, he try to hit harder.

"I think his focus from the first ball to the last ball, I think it is a good thing to keep."