Rio Open: Carlos Alcaraz leads and, Cameron Norrie progresses

Best seeds At the Rio Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie are still on a roll from the competition last week. Tuesday's clay-court competition saw Norrie, a semifinalist two days earlier in Buenos Aires, move to the round of 16, while Alcaraz was one game away from continuing when play was halted by rain. Alcaraz overcame Mateus Alves 6-4 in the opening set and was up 5-3 in the second when play was suspended. Alcaraz defeated Norrie on Sunday to win the Argentina Open. Alcaraz, the defending champion and second-ranked player, struggled to beat Alves, who is rated 556th, with his powerful forehand. Until it was called off, the game lasted around one hour and 50 minutes. The match will resume on Wednesday, and the victor will take on either Marcelo, Fabio Fognini, or In the following round, Tomas Barrios Vera. Juan Manuel Cerundolo was defeated by second-seeded and 13th-ranked Norrie 7-5, 6-1. In the opening set, Norrie fell down 5-3 before outlasting 107th-ranked Cerundolo. Thiago Monteiro, the favourite of the home audience, will take on the 27-year-old Norrie after he defeated 2020 US Open winner Dominic Thiem on Monday.