Cameron Norrie’s preparations for the French Open took a hit on Tuesday as the British number three crashed out in the first round of the Barcelona Open. The 29-year-old, who had successfully battled through the qualifiers, was defeated in three sets by Russia’s Karen Khachanov, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-3.
Norrie, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist now ranked 88th in the world, showed early promise by saving a set point and snatching the opening set in a tie-break. He even held a 4-3 lead with a break in the second set, but Khachanov rallied with confidence and consistency to turn the match around in just over two hours. The Russian, currently ranked 27th, will now face Spain’s Jaume Munar in the next round.
While Norrie’s exit marked disappointment for British tennis fans, over on centre court, defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz kept his title defence momentum going — but not without a scare.
The world number two had to dig deep to overcome 21-year-old American Ethan Quinn, eventually securing a 6-2 7-6 (8-6) victory to reach the last 16. Quinn, ranked 126th in the world, pushed Alcaraz to the brink in a tightly contested second set.
Alcaraz broke Quinn twice and saved five break points to take the first set with relative ease. But the second set became a dogfight, with the players trading breaks three times. Quinn earned a set point in the tiebreak, only for Alcaraz to save it and close out the match.
“I made some mistakes, I found it hard to maintain my level,” Alcaraz admitted to TVE post-match. “But I am happy to have solved the problems that came in the second set, and to end up winning in two sets.”
Fresh off his Monte Carlo Masters victory, the Spaniard is sharpening his clay-court form ahead of Roland Garros next month, where he will look to defend his French Open title.
Elsewhere in Barcelona, Casper Ruud reminded fans why he remains a serious contender on clay. The Norwegian world number 10 powered past Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4 6-3, hitting 25 winners and never facing a break point. Despite not lifting a trophy yet this season, Ruud looked commanding in his title defence campaign.
Stefanos Tsitsipas also made a strong statement. Last year’s runner-up and current world number 16 breezed past Reilly Opelka 6-2 6-2, putting in a dominant serving display to move into the next round.
With the French Open fast approaching, the Barcelona Open is providing key insights into the form of the clay-court elite — and while some big names are cruising, others, like Norrie, will need to regroup quickly.