Alcaraz brushes aside Borges in Barcelona

World number two Carlos Alcaraz began his belated build-up to the French Open with an emphatic second-round win over Nuno Borges at the Barcelona Open yesterday.
The Spanish teenager was back in action after hand and back problems forced him to pull out of last week’s 2023 debut on European clay at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The top seed swept aside the world number 79 from Portugal 6-3, 6-1 to set up an all Spanish last-16 clash with either Bernabe Zapata Miralles or Roberto Bautista Agut.
“I feel great,” said Alcaraz, playing on the surface for the first time since Rio de Janeiro in February.
Alcaraz pulled out of Monte Carlo with the injuries that had hampered his last appearance, in the semi-finals in Miami where he succumbed to Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz arrived in Miami as the world number one after success at Indian Wells, but was knocked off the top of the ATP rankings by Novak Djokovic after the loss to Sinner.
The 19-year-old’s bid to successfully defend a tour-level title for the first time got off to the best possible start, as he despatched Borges in 63 minutes on the court named after Rafael Nadal, another absentee from Monte Carlo.
Aside from unforced errors that enabled Borges to reclaim a break in the eighth game, Alcaraz showed little sign of rustiness. He allowed the Portuguese only one more game in a lop-sided affair.
The 2022 US Open champion converted five of seven break points to continue his quest for a third title of the season after Indian Wells and Buenos Aires.
“Moving well, hitting the ball really well so I feel a lot of confidence playing here in Barcelona,” said Alcaraz. “It’s a really special place for me.”
Also yesterday, Casper Ruud kick-started his 2023 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell campaign with a successful revenge mission.
The third-seeded Norwegian held off American Ben Shelton 6-2, 7-6 (1) to book a third-round spot at the ATP 500 in Catalunya.
“He was playing great, and I think I was playing great,” said Ruud. “I played a perfect first set and he was making maybe a few too many mistakes. But I think all throughout the second set was tough games, tough rallies.”

Dominic Thiem advances in Munich
Dominic Thiem advanced to the second round of the BMW Open in Munich yesterday. The former World No. 3 led Constant Lestienne 6-3 and was serving at Ad/40 in the first game of the second set when the Frenchman retired due to a left calf injury.
“It was a surprising end, not the way I wanted,” Thiem said in his on-court interview.
“But it’s okay and on to the next one.”
The Austrian is making his first appearance in Munich since 2016, when he reached the final.
Thiem is happy to be back at the ATP 250, where he is pursuing his first title since the 2020 US Open.
“Of course I love to play here. The memory of snow in the first round, the break because of heavy snowfall is very funny. I’ll have it in my head forever, so I really like to remember that and also the week in 2016 was great,” Thiem said.
“Just a little bit sad when Philipp Kohlschreiber went by with the winner’s car.
“It was tough, but obviously I love to play here and very happy to be in the second round.”
Thiem will next play Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler, who battled past Briton Kyle Edmund 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3.
Another Swiss, qualifier Alexander Ritschard, eliminated in-form German Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-5.
It was the second tour-level victory of the season for Switzerland United Cup team member Ritschard, who nearly had his right arm amputated when he was 22.
In other action, Hungarian Marton Fucsovics rallied past German wild card Max Hans Rehberg 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3. A home favourite reached the second round when Oscar Otte defeated Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-3, 7-5.