Holger Rune physically outlasted Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP 500 Barcelona Open in Spain to win his first title since 2023, with a victory that sees him return to the top 10 of the rankings.
Alcaraz, who was top seed and had eased through to the final after winning the Monte Carlo Masters the previous weekend, struggled with an injury to what he said was his right psoas muscle from early in the second set. Rune took full advantage, displaying solidity and ruthlessness in equal measure to win 7-6(6), 6-2.
Alcaraz had taken a medical timeout with the score at 1-2 in the second set, when he informed medical staff of where he was feeling discomfort. The key game arrived at 2-2, with Alcaraz serving. He took control of the opening point, but inexplicably hit a ball straight to Rune from short in the court, allowing the Dane to steal the point a couple of shots later. He then hit a passing shot cross-court at 0-15 with Rune’s momentum always going in that direction, going down 0-30 and ultimately 3-2 in the second set, from where he never recovered.
Rune had won the first set from 1-3 down and then 6-6, 1-3 in the tiebreak, hitting a brilliant forehand pass at 4-4. As the match wore on and Alcaraz’s physical limitations became apparent, the Spaniard started trying to impose himself earlier in rallies. But he became tentative in his forays forward and started overplaying too early in points in a bid to shorten them, leaving Rune too much space to hit into from behind the baseline.
“We’ve been seeing each other since 12 years old, time flies. I’m really happy to see us in this position,” Alcaraz said to Rune on the podium after it was over.
Alcaraz himself had profited from an ailing opponent in Monaco, with Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti succumbing to injury and fatigue in the third set of their Monte Carlo final. With few points to defend at the Madrid and Rome Opens, he is in a position to manage his schedule without risking falling too far down the rankings if the injury that affected him in this final lingers.
His runner-up trophy leaves him five points behind Alexander Zverev at No. 2, who beat Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4 in Munich to win the Munich Open, which is also a 500-level event as of this season.
Rune reached the final at Indian Wells, Calif. in March with a string of impressive performances, but his level crumbled against Britain’s Jack Draper in the final. He now heads to Madrid for the ATP and WTA 1,000 event there; the main draws begin April 23.
(Photo: Manaure Quintero / AFP via Getty Images)