BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Holger Rune upset home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets on Sunday to win the Barcelona Open for his first title since 2023.
Rune defeated the Spaniard 7-6 (6), 6-2 for his first title since winning in Munich two years ago, and fifth overall. It was the Dane's first ATP 500 title.
“It means the world, it was such a great match,” Rune said. “In the beginning, I was a little bit stressed, because Carlos obviously plays big-time tennis. I had to breathe a lot and find my rhythm. After he broke me, I got more into the match and played my tennis. The first set was a big battle, it was super important to win it and gain the momentum. I’m so proud of myself.”
Alcaraz was coming off a nine-match winning streak that included his first Monte Carlo Masters title last weekend. He was searching for his third title of the year and 19th of his career. He won the Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023.
Rune, runner-up to Jack Draper at Indian Wells, rallied from a break down in the opener and converted his fourth set point. He cruised in the second set against Alcaraz, who twice needed treatment on his upper right leg.
"I’m very happy with how I stayed composed when it mattered, and I was really brave,” Rune said.
Alcaraz will lose his No. 2 ranking to Alexander Zverev, who won his third Munich title on Sunday.
“Congratulations Holger on an amazing week,” Alcaraz said. "Coming here and showing a great effort to make the people enjoy watching tennis, I appreciate that. We’ve been seeing each other since (we were) 12 years old. Time flies. I’m really happy to see us in this position, how far we’ve (come). Keep going.”
It was the first ATP tour-level final between two players aged 21-and-under since 2022. Both are 21.
By reaching the final in Barcelona, Rune secured a return to the top 10. He will move up to No. 9. The sixth seed in Barcelona, Rune had been forced to retire from his Monte Carlo opener with food poisoning.
The Madrid Open starts Monday.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
The Associated Press
