Carlos Alcaraz made a successful start in Barcelona, just 48 hours after his loss to Jannik Sinner in the Monte-Carlo Masters final. Despite an injury scare, Alcaraz defeated Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last 16 of the Barcelona Open. The Spaniard required a medical timeout for a wrist issue at the end of the first set but showed no signs of discomfort during his 85-minute win.
Alcaraz, who must win the tournament to reclaim the world No 1 spot from Sinner, expressed his happiness at being back and winning in front of his home crowd. He faces Tomas Machac on Thursday.
Alcaraz is chasing his third title of the season, having completed the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open and won the ATP 500 event in Doha. The opportunity to quickly reclaim the world No 1 ranking provides additional motivation, but steady improvement during the clay season remains his top priority. With Sinner absent from the draw, Alcaraz's hopes of capturing the trophy on familiar territory are boosted.
The two-time champion in Barcelona aims to play a full schedule on clay this season, with events to follow in Madrid and Rome ahead of his French Open title defence.