Barcelona Open Round-Up: Alcaraz and Tsitsipas advance with confidence, Davidovich and Fils cruise through tough battles

The first round of the Barcelona Open has ended without major surprises so far, as all 8 seeded players advanced to the second round, including Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

With a 32-player draw, high-level matchups appeared early on, such as Stefanos Tsitsipas facing Reilly Opelka or Alex De Minaur against Tomás Martín Etcheverry.

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Favourites move through

There were high expectations around what Alcaraz could do just two days after winning the Monte-Carlo Masters, especially against a tricky opponent like Ethan Quinn — still relatively unknown in big tournaments but who came through qualifying with impressive wins over Corentin Moutet and Borna Coric. Without reaching his top level, Alcaraz still got the job done with a 6-2, 7-6 win over the American, extending his winning streak to six matches.

One of the names under scrutiny due to recent results was 2nd seed Casper Ruud, who faced clay specialist Daniel Elahi Galán. The defending champion didn’t face a single break point in the match and was highly effective, winning 78% of points on his first serve and an outstanding 90% on the second — particularly impressive on the slow Barcelona clay. He sealed a 6-4, 6-3 victory and began his title defence on a strong note.

Last year’s runner-up — and four-time finalist in Barcelona — Stefanos Tsitsipas faced a tough challenge in Reilly Opelka, but he dominated the match and neutralised Opelka’s serve, who managed just four aces and failed to convert any break chances. The Greek cruised to a commanding 6-2, 6-2 win and, after a solid Monte-Carlo run, looks ready to shine this clay season.

Casper Ruud won the 2024 Barcelona Open title defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

The second wave

Arthur Fils had a tricky opener against 2022 finalist Pablo Carreño Busta. Although the Spaniard is far from his best — when he was a top-20 player — he’s still dangerous on clay and had home support on his side. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old Frenchman confirmed his strong form, earning his ninth win in his last twelve matches, taking the victory 7-6[8-6], 6-3. A solid start for Fils, who will now face another Spaniard in the round of 16: Pedro Martínez, the Spanish No. 3.

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Another player to watch is Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who surprisingly reached the Monte-Carlo semifinals and has already contested two finals this season. The Spaniard beat 3-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in his opener (6-1, 6-4), setting up a blockbuster round-of-16 clash with 4th seed Andrey Rublev.

Lastly, Australian Alex De Minaur was up against Argentine clay-court specialist Tomás Martín Etcheverry, a Roland Garros 2023 quarterfinalist. De Minaur showed his class, using his consistent serve to avoid facing any break points, while converting both of the opportunities Etcheverry gave him to seal a 6-4, 6-4 win.

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Tuesday, April 15

• Carlos Alcaraz [1] def. Ethan Quinn [Q] 6-2, 7-6(6)

• Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] def. Reilly Opelka 6-2, 6-2

• Casper Ruud [2] def. Daniel Elahi Galan [Q] 6-4, 6-3

• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Stan Wawrinka [WC] 6-1, 6-4

• Karen Khachanov def. Cameron Norrie [Q] 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3

• Frances Tiafoe def. Jaume Munar 6-2, 5-7, 6-1

• Alex de Minaur def. Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 6-4

• Arthur Fils def. Pablo Carreno Busta [WC] 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-3

• Laslo Djere [Q] def. Arthur Rinderknech [LL] 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-2

• Sebastian Baez def. Damir Dzumhur [LL] 6-1, 7-5

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