Less than 48 hours after losing the Monte-Carlo Masters final to rival Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz survived an injury scare to defeat Otto Virtanen and reach the last 16 of the Barcelona Open.
The Spaniard, who must win the tournament to reclaim the world No 1 spot from Sinner, defeated Finland's Virtanen 6-4 6-2 despite receiving a medical timeout for a wrist issue at the end of the first set.
However, Alcaraz did not show any signs of physical discomfort during his 85-minute first-round win on home soil.
"It feels great to be back and to get another win in front of my people in Barcelona, it means everything," said Alcaraz, who faces Czech Tomas Machac on Thursday.
"This morning was my first practice here to adapt to the conditions. Different conditions to Monte Carlo but overall I am really happy with the way that I played and solved the problems that I had in the first set.
"I ended up playing great tennis, so hopefully in the next round I will feel a little bit better."
Alcaraz is chasing his third title of the season this week after completing the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open and triumphing at the ATP 500 event in Doha.
Alcaraz said the opportunity to quickly reclaim the world No 1 ranking from his big rival Jannik Sinner provided him additional motivation for this week's tournament in Barcelona, but steady improvement during the clay season remained his top priority.
Alcaraz after Sunday's final but the Spaniard will have the chance to climb back to his perch by capturing the trophy on familiar territory.
The two-time champion in Barcelona hopes are boosted by the absence of Sinner in the draw, after the Italian took a break following back-to-back triumphs in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo over the last few weeks.
"I won't miss him this week," Alcaraz joked in his pre-tournament press conference.
"I saw that I have to win the tournament here if I want to get the number one ranking back. The battle between Jannik and myself is great. It probably provides extra motivation.
"But we're focused and my mind is set on trying to stay on the path we're on, trying to keep improving. We're clear about what we need to do in training and in matches. That's the main goal, results and points are extra motivation.
The Spaniard hopes to play a full schedule on clay this season with events to follow in Madrid and Rome ahead of his French Open title defence beginning in Paris on May 24.
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