Carlos Alcaraz not only loses a final in Spain, but also his place in the world rankings to Alexander Zverev.
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz missed out on a home victory at the ATP tournament in Barcelona. The French Open and Wimbledon winner was defeated 6-7 (6-8), 2-6 by Denmark’s Holger Rune in the final.
This means that after just one week, he loses his second place in the world rankings to Hamburg’s Alexander Zverev, who triumphed in Munich a few hours earlier.
Alcaraz (21) was struggling against the strong Rune, receiving treatment in the early stages of the second set and having no chance after returning to the court.
The 22-year-old Rune, who was coached by Boris Becker at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024, celebrated his fifth tournament victory on the tour and his first in almost two years. He returns to the top ten in the rankings after eight months.
Alcaraz won the Masters in Monte Carlo last week, benefiting from the injury of his final opponent Lorenzo Musetti (Italy). Alcaraz had been aiming for the double in preparation for the French Open (starting May 25), with his compatriot Rafael Nadal, who retired in 2024, having celebrated the Monte Carlo/Barcelona double ten times in his career.
