British No. 3 Cameron Norrie exits in first round while Carlos Alcaraz digs deep to avoid upset

Cameron Norrie’s rocky 2025 season continued with a tough first-round defeat at the Barcelona Open, as rising star Carlos Alcaraz was made to fight to avoid a major upset.

Norrie, now ranked 88 in the world, entered the tournament through qualifying but fell 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-3 to Russia’s Karen Khachanov, currently world No. 27. The 29-year-old Brit, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022, showed early resilience—saving a set point and edging the first set in a tie-break—but couldn’t maintain momentum. Despite leading by a break in the second set, Norrie lost control as Khachanov powered back to claim victory in just over two hours.

It’s another early setback for the British number three, whose form has dipped dramatically following his fall outside the top 80. Khachanov will next face Spain’s Jaume Munar in the second round.

Meanwhile, world number two Carlos Alcaraz faced a far trickier test than expected against American outsider Ethan Quinn. Alcaraz won 6-2 7-6 (8-6), but not without a scare.

After cruising through the first set, Alcaraz, 21, was broken three times in a chaotic second set as Quinn, ranked 126th in the world, went toe-to-toe with the French Open champion. The Spaniard had to save a set point in the tiebreak before finally grinding out the win in front of a partisan crowd.

“I made some mistakes and lost focus,” Alcaraz told Spain’s TVE. “But I’m happy to find solutions and finish it in two sets.”

Alcaraz is tuning up for his Roland Garros title defence after a successful run at the Monte Carlo Masters last week. His patchy form in Barcelona will be noted by rivals, but his ability to recover under pressure is becoming a hallmark of his game.

Elsewhere in Barcelona, defending champion Casper Ruud breezed through his opener, dispatching Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4 6-3. The Norwegian world number 10, still chasing his first title of the year, didn’t face a single break point and hit 25 winners in a commanding display.

Stefanos Tsitsipas also made light work of his opening match, comfortably defeating American Reilly Opelka 6-2 6-2. The Greek, seeded 16th and last year’s runner-up, is chasing form after a slow start to the season.

The Barcelona Open continues to serve as a key clay-court warm-up ahead of the French Open later this month, with Alcaraz, Ruud, and Tsitsipas all expected to feature deep into the tournament. For Norrie, however, questions continue to mount about his confidence and standing on the tour after another early exit.