(Tennis news) Spanish teenager star Carlos Alcaraz secured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 after defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the final of the Miami Open. The 18 year old won 7-5 6-4 against the Norwegian in an hour and 52 minutes. After a slow start in which he was down 4-1, Alcaraz bounced back by breaking Ruud twice early in the second set to seal the victory. The result means that Alcaraz is now the youngest Miami men’s champion and the third-youngest ATP Masters 1000 champion.
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz said “I have no words to describe how I feel right now, but it is so special to win my first Masters 1000 here in Miami. I'm so happy with the win and for sure with my team. I knew Casper is playing very well, he has a big forehand. I tried to play to his backhand first and tried to go to attack, to not let him dominate the match."
In the women’s category, Iga Swiatek defeated Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-0 in the Miami Open finals. The Polish second seet didn’t drop a single set and has now won 17 consecutive matches going back to her championship run at the Qatar Open in February. The result also means that the 20 year old has become the fourth woman to win the Indian Wells and Miami Open back-to-back.
Speaking after the match, Osaka said “I have learned that like, I don't know, I'm not as disappointed as I normally would be, like I think normally I would be crying in the locker room or something, but now I'm kind of like chill. I feel like I know what I want to do better, and I just want to go back and start training again to hopefully win a tournament next time. It's all about keeping a certain perspective.
“Playing Iga today, just knowing the kind of roll that she's on, I guess I have to think about it more, like what specifically did I learn today. It's kind of cool to be blown away by a person, like an opponent, but at the same time, I feel like I'm strong enough that that shouldn't happen. So I'm a bit irritated a little bit, but I feel like, you know, this is like the learning process, and something good will happen eventually if I keep sticking with what I'm doing."
Also read: Casper Ruud defeats Francisco Cerundolo to reach Miami Open finals
