Barcelona Open: Cameron Norrie knocked out in first round but Carlos Alcaraz progresses after battle
Cameron Norrie was knocked out in the first round of the Barcelona Open but Carlos Alcaraz progressed after a second-set battle as he targets back-to-back ATP Tour titles.
Norrie, who came through qualifying to reach the main draw in Spain, won the first set against Karen Khachanov and then led 4-3 with a break in the second, before falling to a 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-3 defeat.
The Brit lost in qualifying for last week’s Monte-Carlo Masters and has not won a main-draw match since reaching round three at Indian Wells in early March, an event won by compatriot Jack Draper.
Alcaraz made to work by American qualifier
Monte-Carlo Masters champion Alcaraz reached the second round as he extended his winning streak to six matches with a 6-2 7-6 (8-6) victory over American qualifier Ethan Quinn.
Alcaraz – who beat Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo on Sunday to secure his sixth ATP 1000 title and first in that tournament – broke Quinn twice in the first set but found things tougher in the second.
The Spaniard slipped 3-1 down and then had to fend off a set point in the tie-break before he rubberstamped a last-16 meeting with Laslo Djere as he pushes for a third Barcelona Open title, after successive victories in 2022 and 2023.
Alcaraz missed the 2024 edition due to injury, with Casper Ruud winning instead.
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Highlights of Alcaraz’s straight-sets win over American qualifier Ethan Quinn in Barcelona
Ruud through as De Minaur clinches Fearnley showdown
Ruud and third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas – the player Ruud overcame in last year’s final – also progressed in straight sets on Tuesday, seeing off Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4 6-3 and Reilly Opelka 6-2 6-2 respectively.
Fifth seed Alex de Minaur did not drop a set either as he beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4 6-4 to secure a last-16 showdown with Britain’s Jacob Fearnley on Thursday.
Jacob Fearnley plays Alex de Minaur in the last 16 on Thursday
However, ninth seed Frances Tiafoe was defeated 2-6 7-5 6-1 by unseeded Spaniard Jaune Munar, a week after losing in the second round at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
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