Carlos Alcaraz conceded he was nervous in a cagey victory over qualifier Ethan Quinn at the Barcelona Open.

Alcaraz won back-to-back titles in Barcelona in 2022 and 2023, and after missing the tournament last year, is hoping to impress on home soil.

But the 21-year-old, who won the Monte-Carlo Masters on Sunday, had to battle hard to see off American Quinn 6-2 7-6 (8-6) on Tuesday.

Indeed, Alcaraz had to save a set point on return at 5-6 down in the tie-break, but then recovered to reel off two more points to get the job done.

"It's a really special tournament for me, so I’m really happy to play again here, in front of my people," said Alcaraz.

"It was a difficult match for me, I just had to deal with the pressure and the nerves. But I'm really happy to have won in straight sets, and give myself a bit of energy for the next matches.

"The clay season is short and really intense. You have to be at 100% in every match, every tournament.

"Two days ago I was playing a final in Monte-Carlo. It's different conditions here, so I couldn't rest at all, that's why saving energy is really important right now."

11 - Only Mats Wilander (12/12) won more main draw matches in Barcelona than Carlos Alcaraz (11) after his first 12 played at the event in the Open Era. Feeling.#BCNOpenBS | @bcnopenbs @atptour pic.twitter.com/XgYyUDuXxK

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) April 15, 2025

Next up for Alcaraz is Laslo Djere.

Joining the Spaniard in the round of 16 are fellow big names Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur and reigning champion Casper Ruud.

Tsitsipas made light work of Reilly Opelka, winning 6-2 6-2 to maintain his 100% record in his opening matches in Barcelona.

Ruud, seeded second, dispatched Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4 6-3, while De Minaur overcame Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4 6-4.

Data Debrief: Home from home

Alcaraz hails from a small city outside of Alicante, but he has always been at home in Barcelona.

He has now won 11 of his first 12 main draw matches at the tournament, with only Mats Wilander (12) having won more of his opening 12 encounters at the tournament in the Open Era.

The four-time grand slam champion has won his first six clay-court matches of the season, arguably without getting anywhere close to his best level.

Tsitsipas, a four-time finalist at the event, meanwhile, trails only Kei Nishikori (24-7) for the best win ratio in Barcelona among active players.