Carlos Alcaraz goes past Ethan Quinn in Barcelona opener

Carlos Alcaraz continued his good show in the clay season as he defeated America’s Ethan Quinn by 6-2, 7-6 in the opening round of the Barcelona Open on Tuesday. With this victory, Alcaraz extended his winning streak at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell to 11 matches.

After winning the opening set comfortably against the American, the Spaniard found himself in some trouble as he went down 1-3 in the second set. However, the top seed was able to get his serve back and took the second set to the tiebreaker.

Alcaraz also saved a set point on return at 5/6 in the tie-break. The defending champion admitted it was a difficult match for him.

“It’s a really special tournament for me, so I’m really happy to play again here, in front of my people,” said Alcaraz, who saved five of eight break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “It was a difficult match for me, I just had to deal with the pressure and the nerves. But I’m really happy to have won in straight sets, and give myself a bit of energy for the next matches.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged that the clay season is always tough as it is short, and thus every game is tough for the players.

“The clay season is short and really intense,” Alcaraz added. “You have to be at 100 per cent in every match, every tournament. Two days ago I playing a final in Monte-Carlo… It’s different conditions here, so I couldn’t rest at all, that’s why saving energy is really important right now.”

Carlos Alcaraz will next face qualifier Laslo Djere on Thursday in Barcelona.