The Murcian tennis player of 19 years-old is the youngest to win this tournament. He overcomes Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev. He has now 5 tittles, two of Masters 1,000.
In one hour and two minutes, and after gives 4 games, Carlos Alcaraz won this Sunday the Mutua Madrid Open with an incredible performance. This is the shortest final of this tournament with more than 20 years of history (6-3 and 6-1). The Murcian player won easily the current champions and also the champion of 2018 edition, Alexander Zverev, that just lost 2 games on Caja Mágica (19-3 with this result). No one of his defeats were on Manolo Santana stadium. The match was like a training in front of a lot of people. They were not great or beautiful points.
But the 12,500 people that were on the stadium had a very good performance of the Spanish tennis players. Alcaraz offered them a great exhibition to win his fifth tittle of his short career (the fourth one of 2022). Zverez, on the post-match interview said this about his rival: “Right now is the best of the world“.
With 19 years and three days, Carlos is the youbgest player to win this tittle (Nadal won Mutua Madrid Open with 19 years and 5 months of age). Also, is the leader with victories on this year (28). He has now seven consecutive victories against top 10 players, 11 total. Is now sixth on the ATP ranking. And if that was not enough, he is the sixth player on the Open Era (since 1968) that win the first 5 finals that he played.
All of this is thanks to overcame on the capital of Spain five finalists of Masters 1,000, Basilashvili, Norrie, Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev. The last three ones are number 4, 1 and 3 on the ranking, respectively. This is an exploit that no one achieve except the Argentinian player Nalbandian. He won Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, also in Madrid, on 2007. Carlos, native of El Palmar, said this on the trophy delivery: “I believe in myself, I always say that I do not play finals, I win them“.
The match was really controlled by Alcaraz. He made awesome severs (some of them until 224 km/h). Also, he just made 11 not-forced mistakes and just needed 12 win shots to keep the advantage against the Germany tennis player. Without doubts, the future of this guy of 19 years old will be amazing if he keep pushing like that.
Jorge Barbero
