Rune rises to the occasion with defeat of Alcaraz

Holger Rune battled past injured Carlos Alcaraz to spoil the Spanish Easter party at the Barcelona Open, with the Dane lifting the trophy 7-6 (6), 6-2. 

The pair of 21-year-olds were familiar foes, having played 20 times in juniors before hitting the Tour;  Rune won the first 500 series title of his career and his fifth overall.

Alcaraz was treated three times in the second set after an apparent injury to his upper right thigh/groin after duelling hard in the opening set at the Real Club.

The loss will send Alcaraz back to third in the rankings, with Alexander Zverev moving back to second behind Jannik Sinner as a result of winning the Munich title on Sunday.

Rune, a first-round victim last week in Monte Carlo, reversed his clay momentum in Spain, handing Alcaraz a first loss of a set for the week.

The Spanish top seed’s two final shots both clipped the top of the net and fell back as Rune raised his hands in celebration after 97 minutes on court in the Catalan capital.

“This means the world,” the winner said. “I started the match stressed, he was playing big-time tennis.

“I was able to find my rhythm after he broke me (3-2 in the opening set) and I got more into the match.

“The first set was a big battle with a lot of important points. It was super-important to win the set and gain momentum.

“I’m so proud of myself.”

Rune ended with 18 winners while the ailing Alcaraz produced 33 unforced errors. The Dane claimed his 50th match win on clay and levelled his Tour record in the series to 2-2.

Rune said he channeled Novak Djokovic’s Paris Olympic gold medal win from  last summer over Alcaraz as he struggled to turn his game around in Barcelona.

“I asked myself what Novak did to win that final. I (realised) that I didn’t need to hit every ball on the line. I need to make him play and hit a lot of balls.”

Rune, who won the elite Paris Bercy Masters 1000 title in 2022, finally began reversing a 13-match loss streak against top five opponents.with his title victory.

Alcaraz may be racing for fitness with the Madrid Masters starting on Wednesday as the ATP ploughs ahead with an unpopular two-week format for Masters tournaments despite growing protest from exhausted players.

Main photo:- Holger Rune celebrates as he wins in Barcelona – by ATPTour.com