Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/BUENOS AIRES: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz won the Argentina Open final on Sunday in his first match in nearly four months of injury, with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over British tennis player Cameron Norrie.
It was the 19-year-old Spaniard’s seventh career title and first since winning the US Open in September, before becoming the youngest ever world number one.
Alcaraz stated that he felt very at ease playing in the final. He said that he knew it would be challenging. He added that he initially focused on what he needed to do, his game, and his level.
Alcaraz missed Australian Open before Argentina Open
Alcaraz missed the start of this season due to a leg muscle tear suffered at the Paris Masters in November, including the Australian Open, which Novak Djokovic won.
He also lost his number-one spot to the Serb. With his 93-minute victory on Sunday, world number two Alcaraz improved his head-to-head record against 12th-ranked Norrie to 4-1. He turned a 2-3 deficit into a 6-3, 3-0 lead, and he didn’t face a break point until he couldn’t serve out the match at 5-3 up.
Down 0-15 while serving at 5-5, the Spaniard reclaimed his serve with a forehand volley. The next game was the longest match, with Alcaraz battling through two deuces before sealing victory with a drop shot, demonstrating that his long absence had not diminished his mastery of clay courts.
Five of his seven titles have come on clay, and he will have the opportunity to quickly add another when he travels to Rio next week to defend the trophy he won in 2022.
Alcaraz is the first Spaniard to win the title in Buenos Aires since Rafael Nadal in 2015, and he did so in style, dropping only one set in four victories this week, which was in his first match back against Serbia’s Laslo Djere.
With his victory on Sunday, he became the first teenager to win the title in the Argentine capital. Alcaraz had a breakout year in 2022. In addition to becoming the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990, he defeated Djokovic and compatriot Nadal on consecutive days to win the Madrid Masters.
He also won the Miami Masters and ATP 500-level titles in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona.
On the eve of Buenos Aires, Alcaraz declared that it had been a terrific year. He quickly realized his dream, his goal. He stated that he handled it as naturally as possible. He went on to say that after becoming number one, he had to set new goals and things for the long term to continue enjoying himself and improving.
