Ex-ATP pro doesn’t want to take credit away from Holger Rune after he beats injured Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona final
Holger Rune ended his trophy drought with a straight-set win against Carlos Alcaraz to take home his first Barcelona Open title.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz)
Holger Rune is the newest Barcelona Open champion. On Sunday (April 20) on Pista Rafa Nadal court, Rune, in an hour and 42 minutes, came out on top of two-time Barcelona Open champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(6), 6-2 in the final to lift his career’s third clay-court title, ending the Spaniard’s nine-match winning streak.
Alcaraz injured his right thigh abductor during the match and couldn’t change the momentum in his favor in the second set during which he took a medical timeout. Former player Nicolas Escude analyzed the final and said credit shouldn’t be taken away from Rune for securing the win against an injured Alcaraz.
It was Rune who went for that first set before we felt an injured, weakened Alcaraz. There weren’t really any physical problems. It was a match. That didn’t mean that Rune, before the Spaniard found himself weakened, was necessarily going to win. But he deserved credit for doing so and reacting after the break conceded in the first set.
Nicolas Escude told Eurosport
En route to the Barcelona title, Rune, now a five-time ATP singles titlist, had also knocked out last year’s runner-up Casper Ruud. Prior to Barcelona, Rune lifted his previous two clay-court titles at the BMW Open in 2022 and 2023.
The Barcelona Open was his first title since his win in Munich. Rune, who assured himself a spot in the top 10 after reaching the final, will occupy the ninth position in the rankings table.
Carlos Alcaraz speaks highly of Holger Rune after losing the Barcelona Open final
Holger Rune, before the Barcelona Open, had an inconsistent start to the season. He came close to the Indian Wells Masters title (he reached the final) but the trophy still eluded him.
Prior to the Sunshine Double, Rune had a disappointing campaign during the Golden Swing as food poisoning forced him to withdraw from the Mexican Open. Before the Barcelona Open, Rune started his campaign in the clay swing at the Monte Carlo Masters.
While Carlos Alcaraz went on to take home his first title in The Principality, Rune withdrew and threw in the towel during his first-round match against Nuno Borges as he suffered from food poisoning. Alcaraz, following his defeat, lauded the Dane for how he overcame the illness before lifting the title in Barcelona.
After Monte Carlo, where you had to withdraw, you came here to Barcelona…Showing great tennis. For people to enjoy. I appreciate that. I have to congratulate you and your team. We’ve been seeing each other since we were 12 years old. Time flies. I’m happy to see us in this position and see how far we’ve come together.
Carlos Alcaraz said during the on-court interview
Rune has now improved his head-to-head record over Alcaraz to 2-2. It was the first tour-level final between players aged 21 and under since 2022. The match was also their first on the clay.
Carlos Alcaraz loses the No.2 position to Alexander Zverev
Alcaraz toppled Alexander Zverev from the second position after winning the Monte Carlo Open. But now, the four-time Grand Slam champion once again slipped down to the third position.
Zverev, who, instead of the Barcelona Open, played his home tournament BMW Open, ended his trophy drought by beating Ben Shelton to clinch his first title since the 2024 Paris Masters.
Zverev, however, is just 145 points ahead of Alcaraz. He has 7,995 points, while Alcaraz has 7,850. Both the players will now be gearing up for the Madrid Masters, the main draw of which starts on April 23. Both the players are two-time Madrid Open champions.
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