Rune upsets Alcaraz for Barcelona title

BARCELONA: Holger Rune put an abrupt end to Carlos Alcaraz’s nine-match winning streak in emphatic fashion on Sunday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where the Dane captured his first title of the season.

The sixth-seeded Dane prevailed 7-6(6), 6-2 in a high-octane final to earn his fifth ATP Tour trophy. Rune rallied from a break deficit in the opener and converted his fourth set point. He then soared clear in the second to deny Alcaraz, who took a medical time-out, a way back in.

Both players traded heavy blows from the baseline and mixed in variation to disrupt the rhythm, but it was Rune who held firm amid a lively atmosphere on Pista Rafa Nadal. He saved all four of the break points he faced in the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, while Alcaraz twice took treatment on his upper right leg.

Rune was forced to retire from his Monte-Carlo opener last week with food poisoning, but quickly adjusted to the Barcelona clay with a string of impressive performances. The 21-year-old dispatched defending champion Casper Ruud in the quarter-final and delivered a statement performance over 18-time tour-level winner Alcaraz to earn his third title on the surface.

Just by reaching the final in Barcelona, Rune ensured he will return to the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday. Alcaraz was aiming to hold his No 2 spot by claiming a third title of the season (also Rotterdam, Monte-Carlo), but Alexander Zverev will return to that position after triumphing in Munich.