Barcelona, April 14 (IANS) World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz made a strong start to his campaign at the Barcelona Open, defeating Finland’s Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-3 to move into the second round of the ATP 500 event on Tuesday.

Returning to action after his runner-up finish at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he fell to Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz looked composed in his first match on home soil this season. The Spaniard, now ranked No. 2, has an opportunity to reclaim the top spot with a title-winning run in Barcelona.

Despite requiring a medical timeout for an arm concern at the end of the opening set, Alcaraz showed little sign of discomfort thereafter, wrapping up the contest in one hour and 25 minutes. He will next face Tomas Machac, who battled past Sebastian Baez 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

“It feels great to be back and to get another win in front of my people in Barcelona; it means everything. This morning was my first practice here to adapt to the conditions. Different conditions in Monte-Carlo, but overall I am really happy with the way that I played,” Alcaraz was quoted by ATP.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed considerable success at this event, having clinched back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. He also reached the final last year, finishing runner-up to Holger Rune. Alcaraz arrives in Barcelona chasing his third title of the season, having already triumphed at the Australian Open and an ATP 500 event in Doha.

His recent defeat to Sinner in Monte-Carlo, the third Masters 1000 tournament of the year, has added further motivation as he looks to return to winning ways. With the Italian not competing this week, the door remains open for Alcaraz to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.

Elsewhere, second seed Lorenzo Musetti advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Spanish wild card Martin Landaluce. After a closely fought first set, Musetti took control from the baseline to seal victory in 88 minutes, setting up a meeting with Corentin Moutet.

Third seed Alex de Minaur also progressed, overcoming Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner 7-6(7), 6-4. De Minaur showed resilience in the opening set, saving a set point in the tie-break before closing out the match in straight sets. He will next take on Hamad Medjedovic in the second round.

–IANS

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