Carlos Alcaraz has become the second-youngest player in history to win multiple Masters 1000 titles after sweeping aside an erratic Alexander Zverev in the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday.
Alcaraz showed few signs of nerves throughout his comprehensive 6-3, 6-1, win over the world No.3, who boasted a 19-2 winning record at the tournament heading into the final. Nevertheless, it was the teenage sensation who had the upper hand as he mixed some powerful shotmaking with delicate drop shots to demonstrate the versatility of his game. The clinical performance saw Alcaraz win 89% of his first service points without facing a single break point. Out of the 85 points played in the final, he won 56 of them.
Heading into the final Alcaraz had played his German rival twice before and lost both of those encounters in straight sets. However, this time round the 19-year-old was the one with the momentum on his side following what has been a record-breaking run in the tournament. In the previous rounds, he has defeated both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to become the first player in history to do so at the same clay court event.
“To be able to beat the two best players in history, as well as the number three in the world, I would say this is the best week of my life so I’m going to enjoy this moment,” Alcaraz told Martina Navratilova during an interview with Amazon Prime.
“I’m 19-years-old, I think that is the key to be able to play long matches and tough matches in a row. I feel great.’
“This (the Madrid Open) is the first tournament I watched since I was a kid, so lifting this trophy is so emotional,” he added.
Cheered on by an animated Madrid crowd, Alcaraz first drew blood in the sixth game. A blistering forehand crosscourt winner from the Spaniard set him up with a trio of chances to break for a 4-2 lead. He prevailed on his first opportunity after a Zverev backhand crashed into the net. At one stage of the opener a clinical Alcaraz won 10 points in a row. After just 31 minutes of play, the world No.9 sealed the opener with a serve out wide that triggered an error from across the court.
This season Alcaraz has established himself as a formidable frontrunner by winning all 23 of his previous matches after clinching the first set. Continuing to pile the pressure on Zverev, he broke early on in the second frame. Storming to a 40-0 lead against the Zverev serve, a masterful drop shot from the youngster granted him the break for a 2-1 lead. Alcaraz’s relentless play scrambled the mind of his rival who started to implode on court with his error count rapidly rising. Illustrating why many are tipping him to be the next big thing in men’s tennis, Alcaraz stormed to a game away from victory. Three championship points came and went before a Zverev double fault secured him the victory.
“Carlos, right now, you’re the best player in the world, even though you’re 5 years old, you’re still beating us all,” Zverev said to the new champion after the final. “It’s great for tennis that we have someone who is going to win many Grand Slams, be world No 1 and win this tournament many times”.
Alcaraz’s Madrid triumph has seen him score wins over three members of the world’s top four. Something which hadn’t been achieved by a player at a Masters 1000 event since David Nalbandian back in 2007. He now has a win-loss record of 5-0 in Tour finals which makes him only the sixth player in the Open Era to have won their first five ATP finals.
As a result of his latest milestone, the youngster will rise to sixth in the world rankings when they are updated on Monday. His win-loss record for the season now stands at 28-3.
