2023-06-25 15:40:29
Eight days before the start of Wimbledon, Alcaraz, 20, won his first trophy on grass for only his third tournament on this surface.
The Spaniard is thus guaranteed to return to the standings on Monday ahead of the Serbian Novak Djokovic, who had recovered the world throne earlier this month thanks to his final victory at Roland Garros, his 23rd Grand Slam title.
In particular, he succeeds a certain Rafael Nadal, winner in 2008 in this tournament, just before his first triumph at Wimbledon following a legendary final in five sets once morest Roger Federer.
“It means a lot to have my name on this trophy,” admitted the player following the match. “It helps me a lot to come to Wimbledon as world number one; for me, it’s incredible, ”he also admitted.
In the final, facing the 18th player in the world, much more used to the surface than him since he won the Eastbourne tournament in 2021, Alcaraz was very comfortable, especially on the fly, winning 67% points at the net.
“I didn’t start the tournament very well. I had to adapt my movements on the grass, but it was an incredible week, with a lot of energy and quality,” he said.
No feelings
His seven aces, once morest one for his opponent, were often precious, like the one who erased the first break point of the match in the 8th game of the first set.
De Minaur, he cracked at the worst time. At 4-4 and 30-30, following an excellent first ball, he sent a two-handed backhand near the net in the middle of the corridor, before conceding the break on a forehand too long (5-3).
It was once more on an ace, on his second set point, that Alcaraz won the first set. The London public held their breath when a physio appeared at that moment to massage and strap the Spaniard’s right thigh, the one that had betrayed him once morest ‘Djoko’ in Paris.
And De Minaur, with his excellent footwork and delicious touch, gave him a lot of trouble. But in vain. “It’s been a great week for me. We were close to each other, but I mightn’t get the upper hand today. (Carlos was) too good,” conceded the Australian.
At 1-1 in the second set, his magnificent retro drop shot in extension forced the admiration of Alcaraz to the point that he reached out to tap into his opponent’s. But when an opening presented itself to redo the hole, he did not feel. At 2-2, 30-30, de Minaur followed through with an unforced error and a double fault, paving the way for success for the Spaniard.
With authority and power, like this slap of an incredible forehand at 6-4, 4-2, clocked at 171 km / h when the ball was almost at a standstill. There was a bit of a 0-30 scare when he served for the match, but Alcaraz racked up four points to become the first Under-21 player to win his first grass-court final since Richard Gasquet once morest Max Mirnyi, in Nottingham, in 2005.
Alexander Bublik posing with the Halle Trophy winner’s trophy following their victory in the final once morest Rublev on Sunday. Carmen Jaspersen / AFP
Sacred Bublik in Halle
Kazakh Alexander Bublik, 48th in the world, won his first ATP 500 tournament on the circuit by defeating Russian Andrey Rublev in the final on the grass of Halle, Germany, in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 , Sunday.
Bublik, who was playing his first final in a tournament of this category at the age of 26, thereby won his second title on the circuit following that of last year in Montpellier (south of France), an ATP 250, and took appointment for Wimbledon.
Tense and nervous, perhaps marked by his failures in the decisive moments, he who won only one of the seven finals he had played so far, the tall Kazakh (1.96 m) has immediately conceded two double faults, before miraculously saving his face-off. In the process, he managed to steal his opponent’s serve and confirmed his break with a shutout (3-0).
Despite a start from Rublev, who returned to 3-5, Bublik bludgeoned his prey with his powerful serve and concluded on his first set point (6-3) in 27 minutes. A little stunned, the seeded No. 3, however, recovered. The Russian regained his sober game and in turn attacked his opponent with big firsts.
At 2-2, the 25-year-old, 7th in the ATP rankings, converted a break point for the first time, before breaking away 5-2, as if the dynamic had been decisively reversed. Like this spectacular point on a lob from Bublik, saved off balance, to win the round 6-3.
While 2021 runner-up Rublev seemed to have his good feelings back, the first-set scenario played out once more, with Bublik quickly leading 3-0. Without trembling, the Kazakh won with an ace in the second ball, the 21st of the game, in barely an hour and a half.
Thanks to his success, the second in five confrontations once morest Rublev, Bublik will experience his best ranking on Monday, at 26th in the world, a good omen a week before Wimbledon.
Eight days before the start of Wimbledon, Alcaraz, 20, won his first trophy on grass for only his third tournament on this surface. The Spaniard is thus guaranteed to return to the standings on Monday ahead of the Serbian Novak Djokovic, who had recovered the world throne earlier this month thanks to his final victory at Roland-Garros, his 23rd title in the…
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