(Tennis news) World number 2 Carlos Alcaraz defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets (6-3 6-4) to retain his Barcelona Open title, which was his third trophy of the 2023 season. The Spaniard will turn 20 years old in May and has already won titles in Rio de Janeiro in February and Indian Wells in March. Alcaraz didn’t drop a single set in the Barcelona Open, overcoming semi-finalist Dan Evans 6-2 6-2 in Saturday’s semi-final.
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz said “It’s incredible… to feel this energy and lift the trophy in Barcelona in front of my family and friends, and most members of my team are here as well. Playing at this level and to lift the trophy in front of them is a good feeling for me.” The Spaniard is expected to be the favourite at the French Open, which will begin on May 28th and conclude on June 11th, particularly as Nadal’s participation is looking extremely doubtful due to elbow and hip injuries.
Nadal hasn’t played since the Australian Open while Djokovic, who was defeated by fellow Serb Dusan Lajovic in the Srpksa Open on Friday has withdrawn from the Madrid Open which will start next week. Lajovic went on to win the tournament, defeating second seed Andrey Rublev 6-3 4-6 6-4 in the final. Speaking after the match, the Serbian said “I am thrilled and overwhelmed that I did it this week. The last time I was in a final was four years ago and I have been through a lot since then. I still believed in myself, even though I did not have the best last year. This victory means a lot.”
In other results, Britain’s Jamie Murray won the doubles title in Bosnia alongside New Zealand’s Michael Venus while Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof were runners-up. Danish teenager Holger Rune retained the BMW Open title in Munich, defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-3). Rune said “I was feeling really exhausted but I was fighting until the end and I tried everything I could to come back into the match. We really pushed each other to the limit and I am super happy I defended the title.”
Also read: Rafael Nadal doubtful to compete at the French Open due to ongoing hip problem
