Alcaraz Overcomes Injury Scare to Advance in Barcelona

Carlos Alcaraz made a successful start to his Barcelona Open campaign, defeating Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-2, just 48 hours after his Monte-Carlo Masters final loss to Jannik Sinner. The Spaniard, who needs to win the tournament to reclaim the world No 1 spot, received 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 faces Tomas Machac next, expressed his delight at winning in front of his home crowd, saying, "It feels great to be back and to get another win in front of my people in Barcelona, it means everything." He is chasing his third title of the season after winning the Australian Open and the ATP 500 event in Doha. Alcaraz's opportunity to quickly reclaim the world No 1 ranking from Sinner provides additional motivation, but he prioritizes steady improvement during the clay season. With Sinner absent from the draw, Alcaraz's hopes of winning the tournament are boosted. He joked, "I won't miss him this week," and acknowledged the battle between him and Sinner as a great motivation. Alcaraz 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.