Holger Rune crashed Carlos Alcaraz’s party at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The 21-year-old Dane made a statement on the clay by ending the Spaniard’s run of 14 consecutive victories on the clay at the Godo. Rune closed out a 7-6(6), 6-2 victory in one hour and 40 minutes.
The outcome of the final was conditioned by some discomfort in the upper part of the right leg for which the young Spaniard had to be treated in the locker room and also on the court
Just around the corner, and without a break, the Mutua Madrid Open appears on the calendar. Alcaraz will have to make his debut next weekend. The draw is on Monday and the Spaniard will have to enter as the second seed. The first will be Alexander Zverev, the brand new champion of the Munich Open 500
After coming back from a break in the opening set (2-3), the outcome went to the tiebreaker. It was there that the Scandinavian took the lead on the scoreboard. It was a turning point for Holger, who had already beaten the defending champion, Casper Ruud, in the quarter-finals
Accompanied by the doctor
Carlitos asked for the presence of the tournament doctor and physiotherapist at the end of the third game of the second set. Alarms went off when the tennis player had to go to the locker room for treatment
The Spaniard was already wearing a protective bandage around his thigh on his left leg, which had been applied before he went out by his personal physio, Fran Rubio.
Rune broke his opponent’s serve in the fifth game of the second set and then saved two balls from three all. It was the beginning of the end for Alcaraz, who was playing with the handbrake on because of concern about his physical condition.
Two years without a win
The Dane, who began the week as the 13th-ranked ATP player, finishes it in ninth position and is a candidate for everything that is to come because he has regained the level he has. To find his last success, you had to go back to the clay of Munich in 2023
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