Alcaraz won quickly in the opening match of the Barcelona Open

Alcaraz took just 63 minutes to start defending the ATP 500 title at home. He successfully capitalized on five of seven break-points before reaching the 19-game winning mark this season.

"I feel completely fine," Alcaraz said when asked about his return from injury. "I move, hit the shots as expected. Barcelona gives me a lot of confidence, because this is a special place for me."

Alcaraz returns from a break from the Miami Open at the end of March. He has arthritis in his left hand and spinal pain. These injuries prompted the 19-year-old to drop out of the Monte Carlo Masters last week.

Alcaraz will meet Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round after the 13th seed beat Zapata Miralles 6-2, 6-2. Another host, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, also advanced and will face Emil Ruusuvuori, who unexpectedly downed fifth seed Frances Tiafoe.

Veteran tennis player Feliciano Lopez had an early farewell to the Barcelona audience when he lost to David Goffin after three sets. Lopez, who is the same age as Roger Federer, has entered the tournament for the 22nd time and will hang up the racket at the end of this season.

Another event that's also in the spotlight this week is the ATP 250 in Banja Luka - the replacement for the Belgrade Open undergoing renovations. Number one seed Novak Djokovic plays the opening match against Luca Van Assche at 8 pm today, Hanoi time.

Van Assche a year ago still ranked 389 ATP but is now the youngest person in the top 100. The 18-year-old champion Roland Garros young 2021, is the fifth Frenchman to do this. He is also one of the few young talents to have won three or more Challenger titles before the age of 19. Since 2016, only Van Assche, Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune have managed to do so.