Carlos Alcaraz began his quest to reclaim the world number one ranking at the Barcelona Open with a two-set victory, overcoming qualifier Otto Virtanen of Finland with a score of 6-4, 6-2. Alcaraz experienced a slow start and requested a medical timeout between sets due to wrist discomfort.
However, Alcaraz became more dominant in the second set, suggesting the arm issue is not severe and may be attributed to muscular fatigue from a demanding schedule, having played Jannik Sinner just 48 hours prior. In his post-match interview, he explained the need to adjust to the court conditions, which differed from those in Monte Carlo.
Alcaraz now has a day to rest and recover before his Round of 16 clash against Tomas Machac on Thursday, no earlier than 7:00 PM CEST. In other matches, Corentin Moutet will face the second seed Lorenzo Musetti. This will be the first encounter between the Spaniard and the Czech since 2024, with their head-to-head record currently tied at 1-1. Should Alcaraz advance, he could potentially face Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, Alex de Minaur in the semifinals, and Musetti in the final.