Rune overcomes Alcaraz in tense Barcelona Open final
 

Sunday afternoon, on the clay of Barcelona, Holger Rune defeated home favorite Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, (7-6 / 6-2), to win the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, ending Alcaraz’ nine match winning streak.  

The match began with a strong start from both players, showcasing baseline exchanges, powerful serving, and razor-sharp focus. Alcaraz appeared to take control early in the first set by breaking Rune in the fifth game.  

However, the Dane responded swiftly, leveling the score at 3-3 with a dominant love game. Alcaraz countered with a love game of his own, underscoring the equality of level in both players on the clay of the Rafa Nadal court.  

Despite visibly struggling with the heat, Rune remained composed. His cool Danish attitude contrasted sharply with the vibrant and passionate energy of the Murciano player and that of the Spanish home crowd.  

The first set ultimately came down to a tense tie-break, where Rune defeated the Spaniard, swinging the momentum back in his favor. 

In the second set, Alcaraz’s paused after the third game for a medical evaluation. Though he returned to play, he appeared physically limited and unable to play with the same intensity as he had in the first set.  

"In the second set, it started off very intense, with long and tough rallies. There were a couple of sprints where I felt a bit of discomfort in my right adductor and psoas area. In the end, when you feel a slight pain, the alarms go off a little and it’s hard to stay focused. You start worrying about how your body is holding up," Alcaraz stated about his medical issue in the post-match press conference.  

Rune went on and finished the second and last set with focus and clean execution, making it 6-2. 

The result not only earned Rune his fifth ATP Tour title but also secured his return to the Top 10 in the ATP rankings, climbing from No. 13 to No. 9. His triumph in Barcelona comes just a week after he was forced to retire from his Monte Carlo opener due to food poisoning.  

And though he enjoyed winning this title, his eyes are already set on the next tournament: " “I am very happy with this week. But I want to keep building, you know, I want to keep playing better," Rune said during his post-match press conference. 

"Now I just want to keep going. The next one is Madrid, and there's Rome, and then there's the ultimate goal, which is French Open," the Dane added.  

For Alcaraz, the loss brings an end to his quest for a third consecutive title in Barcelona. Just a week earlier, he lifted the trophy in Monte Carlo, adding to his title in Rotterdam earlier this season. The defeat also sees him slip to No. 3 in the rankings, overtaken by Alexander Zverev following the German's win in Munich.