Cameron Norrie was defeated in the opening round of the Barcelona Open, while Carlos Alcaraz secured his progression after a challenging second set, continuing his pursuit of consecutive ATP Tour titles.
Norrie, who entered the main draw through qualification, took the first set against Karen Khachanov and was leading 4-3 with a break in the second set. However, he ultimately succumbed to a 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-3 loss.
This defeat marks another setback for the British player, who also failed to qualify for the Monte-Carlo Masters the previous week. Norrie`s last main-draw victory was at Indian Wells in early March, an event won by fellow Briton Jack Draper.
Alcaraz Faces Tough Challenge from Qualifier
Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Monte-Carlo Masters champion, advanced to the second round, extending his winning streak to six matches. He achieved a 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) victory over American qualifier Ethan Quinn, although he faced resistance in the second set.
Alcaraz, who triumphed over Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo to claim his sixth ATP 1000 title and his first in that particular tournament, broke Quinn`s serve twice in the first set. However, the second set proved to be more competitive.
After falling behind 3-1 in the second set, Alcaraz had to save a set point in the tie-break before finally securing his place in the next round. He is now set to face Laslo Djere in the round of 16 as he aims for his third Barcelona Open title, having won the tournament in both 2022 and 2023.
Alcaraz missed the 2024 Barcelona Open due to injury, with Casper Ruud claiming the title that year.
Ruud and De Minaur Advance
Casper Ruud and third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who Ruud defeated in the previous year`s final, also progressed to the next round in straight sets. Ruud defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-3, while Tsitsipas overcame Reilly Opelka 6-2, 6-2.
Fifth seed Alex de Minaur also advanced without dropping a set, defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 6-4. He is now scheduled to face Britain`s Jacob Fearnley in the round of 16 on Thursday.
However, ninth seed Frances Tiafoe suffered a defeat to unseeded Spaniard Jaume Munar, losing 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. This loss comes just a week after Tiafoe was eliminated in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Dedura-Palomero Makes History in Munich
At the BMW Open in Munich, 17-year-old German player Diego Dedura-Palomero achieved a historic win. He became the first player born in 2008 to win an ATP Tour match after his opponent Denis Shapovalov retired due to injury while trailing 7-6 (7-2), 3-0.
Dedura-Palomero is participating in the tournament as a lucky loser, stepping in after Gael Monfils withdrew following a qualifying loss to Alexander Bublik.
In other news from Munich, third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has already won two titles this year (a feat matched only by Alcaraz), was surprisingly defeated by Mariano Navone. Auger-Aliassime lost 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
Additionally, Jakub Mensik, who notably defeated Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open final in March, was defeated by German wild card Yannick Hanfmann, with a score of 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3.
