Alcaraz got rid of Tsitsipas and took control of Barcelona again

It was a dream ending for more than 6,000 people gathered in Barcelona, ​​and Carlos Alcaraz didn’t fail. The Spaniard overcame the self-deprecating Tsitsipas (6-3 and 6-4) with 26 shots to win and for the second year in a row, delighted the public with the title that has become his routine.

After Rafael Nadal’s dominance on these courts, as shown by his twelve trophies and the fact that the center court bears his name, Alcaraz’s hegemony arrives in Barcelona. Two titles and ten wins in a row ensure a change of command in the tournament par excellence of Spanish tennis, the one where Manolo Santana, Manuel Orantes, Emilio Sánchez Vicario, Juan Carlos Ferrero and company triumphed.

Tsitsipas, who already lost in the quarterfinals to Alcaraz last year, surprised this time with a good start, taking advantage of the gaps in the service that the Murcian allowed all week. Alcaraz began serving hesitantly and allowed the Greek to take the lead with his second break point. The Greek was worked by the right half of the field, one of his best weapons, and the Spaniard needed a step forward, which he achieved by exploiting one of Tsitsipas’ biggest weaknesses. Alcaraz drove the Greek forward with dropshot after dropshot, which destabilized him and slowed down his game.

As a result of the first break in favor of Alcaraz, at 2-2, the game quickly became uneven and broke when Murcian went up to 5-3. A fist appeared in the air and the Barcelona center rumbled, bringing the champion very close to retaining the crown.

In addition, the Spaniard, since winning the US Open in 2021, has eaten away at the morale of the Greek, who cannot get up from his blows. With nine dropshots, he chained and deactivated Tsitsipas’ game, who left several ugly bars with which he delivered his service and game. That, along with a sensational improvement on his serve – he lost only four points on his serve in the second set – brought the title directly into the showcases of Ferrer’s students.

The trophy is worth 500 points. If he successfully defends the Masters 1,000 in Madrid in two weeks, he will be fifth in the ATP ranking of Djokovic, who lost in the quarterfinals of Banja Luka and has problems with his elbow. The Serbian will not participate in Madrid and will give up 360 points from last year’s semi-finals. Before Roland Garros, he will have to play in Rome, where he defends his title, i.e. 1000 points, while Alcaraz did not perform in the Italian capital last year. The possibility of the Murcian being number one before the appointment in France is real.