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Alex de Minaur made a solid start in Barcelona, but a familiar Alcaraz hurdle may await.
Alex de Minaur has opened his Barcelona Open campaign with a straight-sets win, defeating Sebastian Ofner 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 to reach the second round.
De Minaur, who has strong ties to Spain through his upbringing and language, looked comfortable on clay despite a brief scare in the opening set. The Australian No.1 saved a break point late before edging a tight tie-break, then secured the match with an early break in the second.
Seeded third, he has yet to reach a final in Barcelona or Madrid, with a semi-final run in 2022 his best result at the Catalan event. His latest performance suggested he could at least match that mark, although a potential meeting with Carlos Alcaraz looms if the draw follows seeding.
World No.2 Alcaraz, who holds a 6-0 record against de Minaur, advanced comfortably with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Otto Virtanen and will next face Tomas Machac.
Before that, de Minaur must navigate another qualifier in Hamad Medjedovic, whom he defeated earlier this year at the Australian Open. A third-round clash could follow against either Nuno Borges or Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Elsewhere in Barcelona, Karen Khachanov exited after a straight-sets loss to Camilo Ugo Carabelli, while Lorenzo Musetti advanced without issue. Andrey Rublev also progressed and will meet Lorenzo Sonego next.
At the Munich Open, defending champion Alexander Zverev was pushed to three sets before overcoming Miomir Kecmanovic. Zverev, aiming for a fourth title in Munich, said slow conditions made it difficult to generate winners.
There were early exits for Alexander Bublik and Tallon Griekspoor, while Denis Shapovalov and several others progressed.