# Tennis: The Barcelona Open in Spain faced a wave of high-profile departures, with seven players withdrawing or retiring. World number 12, Casper Ruud of Norway, and Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime pulled out before their opening matches to manage physical fatigue. They were joined by Frenchman Ugo Humbert and local player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Eighth-seeded Briton Jack Draper was forced to retire mid-match yesterday due to a knee injury. This significantly clears the path for top-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who is facing Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in the first round this afternoon.
Tennis: Seven players withdraw from Barcelona Open