May 09, (THEWILL) – Teenager Carlos Alcaraz won the Madrid Open in a dominant 62 minutes of brilliant tennis, defeating last year’s winner Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-1.
After victories over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal en route to the final, the teenager has now defeated the top three seeds in a row. It is the world No. 9’s sixth title and his second at the Masters 1000 level.
The final was the third meeting between reigning champion Zverev and seventh seed Alcaraz, but it was the first since the young Spaniard established himself as one of the sport’s biggest new names with three title victories and a top 10 debut this year.
The German won the initial coin toss battle, choosing to receive, but that would be his sole victory in the final.
Zverev’s serve was threatened almost immediately, with the crowd chanting “Carlos” as their man took a 4-2 lead. He fought off a break point at 1-2 down to stay on serve before being broken in his next service game.
The world number three seemed a shell of his typical self in the first set, serving out the set 6-3 to love as the seventh seed struggled to find answers to everything the Spaniard hurled at him.
He held on in the second set’s first game, but that was the only game he won in the championship match, as Alcaraz delivered a morale boost by breaking the Olympic champion’s serve three times to win 6-3 6-1 in just over an hour.
Zverev battled with his serve and lost the match on a double fault, one of five he made in the 62-minute encounter, while Alcaraz went the entire set without making a single double mistake. The world No. 9 also dominated the serving statistics, landing 71% of his first serves to Zverev’s 66.
The German won only 25% of points on his second serve and 61 percent on his first, compared to Alcaraz’s 89 percent on first serve and 73 percent on second. Alcaraz’s triumph makes him a Masters 1000 champion for the second time, as he becomes the youngest man to win the Madrid Open, just over a month after winning his first Masters championship in Miami.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
