Alcaraz advances to second round of Barcelona Open

Securing a decisive opening victory against Otto Virtanen

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reached the second round of the Barcelona Open (ATP 500) with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win over Finland's Otto Virtanen (ranked 130), who had come through qualifying.

Alcaraz, last year's runner-up, will face Czech player Tomas Majak (ranked 47) in the second round. Majak was the only player to take a set from Italy's Jannik Sinner in the round of 16 at last week's Monte Carlo Masters 1000, a match that helped Sinner win the title against Alcaraz and claim the world number one ranking.

The 22-year-old Spaniard could reclaim the top spot if he wins in Barcelona this week, as he did in 2022 and 2023.