Alcaraz Overcomes Injury Concerns to Advance in Barcelona

Carlos Alcaraz made a triumphant return to action in Barcelona, just 48 hours after his Monte-Carlo Masters final defeat to Jannik Sinner, as he beat Otto Virtanen to reach the last 16. The Spaniard, needing to win the tournament to reclaim the world No 1 spot, secured a 6-4 6-2 victory despite a wrist issue that prompted a medical timeout at the end of the first set. However, Alcaraz showed no signs of discomfort during his 85-minute win, marking his fourth Barcelona R16 and 22nd win of 2026. "It feels great to be back and win in front of my home crowd, it means everything," Alcaraz said, who will face Tomas Machac next. "I had my first practice here this morning to adapt to the conditions, which are different from Monte Carlo, but overall I'm really happy with how I played and solved the problems in the first set. Hopefully, I'll feel a bit better in the next round." Alcaraz is chasing his third title of the season, following his Australian Open and ATP 500 Doha wins. He expressed that the chance to quickly reclaim the world No 1 ranking from Sinner 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. "I won't miss him this week," Alcaraz joked, adding that his focus is on staying on the path to improvement, with results and points serving as extra motivation. Alcaraz aims to play a full schedule on clay this season, with events in Madrid and Rome to follow before his French Open title defence begins in Paris on May 24.