Holger Rune (R) defeated Carlos Alcaraz (L) for his first open title in Barcelona. (PTI) Barcelona: Holger Rune defeated the world number two Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 on Sunday to win Barcelona Open for the first time.
Rune was almost flawless because he became only a second player who defeated Alcaraza in the last 23 matches at Clay, although the Spaniard had some physical problems in the second set.
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The four -time Grand Slam Alcaraz winner, who was preparing for his French open defense, hunted his third title in Barcelona, but came shortly when Rune claimed the first anywhere since April 2023.
“It’s a crazy feeling, it’s been for me for so long, because I have won the title, maybe a little more than a year, I’m so happy,” Rune Tva said.
“Beat Carlos in the finals, a good friend and an amazing player means the world to me, I’m so proud to be at the moment.
“I think I was very folded, I played very tactically well again.”
Alcaraz, who won Monte Carlo Masters last week, felt he gave everything he could.
“It’s been two weeks of continuous work, they go to the maximum every day, I think we all have done a great job to get to this moment,” Alcaraz said.
“Today it was not possible, I gave everything I had.
“I don’t know if I could give more, but I want to thank my team, family and friends.”
Alcaraz drew the first blood with a break in the fifth game, but Rune immediately hit the level of 3-3.
The Dane, in the 13th place in the world, put his opponent in the 10th game on a heavy pressure, while Alcaraz was forced to save two set points on the way to the break.
Rune set off two more in a tie before he claimed the first set when Alcaraz went through for a long time.
It was the first set to drop the Spaniard for a week and he was roaring in the second.
Rune saved two points of breaks for hard holding in the second game, and Alcaraz won the third on the server before taking a medical time limit.
The 21 -year -old man threw himself back at trial, but came across trouble, with a ruthless rune.
Dane saved two points of breaks on the way to consolidation of the 4-2 line because Alcaraz had a treatment on the right foot.
Rune broke again and served it and won when Alcaraz slapped the net.
The previous defeat from Alcaraz at Clay came at the Paris Olympics last summer in the hands of the Serbian Great Novak Djokovich.
“I asked myself” What did Novak do when he beat him? “I played it in my mind, the final of the Olympics and I tried to play this style, make a lot of balls,” Rune said.
“I’m very happy with how I stayed composed when it mattered, and I was really brave.”
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