Alcaraz Overcomes Injury Scare to Advance in Barcelona

Carlos Alcaraz made a successful return to action in Barcelona, defeating Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last 16, despite a wrist injury scare. The Spaniard, who needs to win the tournament to reclaim the world No 1 spot from Jannik Sinner, showed no signs of discomfort during his 85-minute win. Alcaraz, who faces Tomas Machac next, expressed his delight at being back on home soil, saying, "It feels great to be back and to get another win in front of my people in Barcelona, it means everything." He added, "This morning was my first practice here to adapt to the conditions. Different conditions to Monte Carlo, but overall I am really happy with the way that I played and solved the problems that I had in the first set." Alcaraz is chasing his third title of the season after winning the Australian Open and the ATP 500 event in Doha. He said the chance to quickly reclaim the world No 1 ranking from Sinner provides him with extra motivation, but steady improvement during the clay season remains his top priority. With Sinner absent from the draw, Alcaraz's hopes of winning the tournament have been boosted. The two-time champion in Barcelona joked, "I won't miss him this week," and acknowledged that the battle between him and Sinner provides extra motivation. Alcaraz hopes to play a full schedule on clay this season, with events to follow in Madrid and Rome ahead of his French Open title defence. Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app.