Ladies and gentlemen, EL MARTIAN, sorry, the Murcian Carlos Alcaraz won his first major title as a professional. He just got it by defeating the Norwegian Casper Ruud (8) in the Miami Open with a score of 7-5 and 6-4, in a match that lasted 1 hour and 52 minutes. This is the Spaniard's first major title in 2022, after winning the Rio Open presented by Claro in Rio de Janeiro and the Croatia Open Umag. In a year in which he has won 16 matches and lost 2, Alcaraz becomes the first Spaniard to win the Miami tournament, a title that has eluded players like Nadal on five occasions.

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       In the first Masters 1000 final for both players, the 18-year-old Spaniard was the favorite to win the match. However, this favoritism, as is natural for a rookie, weighed more heavily on the Spaniard than on the Scandinavian. Alcaraz lost the first three games of the first set to the accurate forehand and backhand strokes of the Norwegian, who controlled the game better at that moment. On the other hand, the Spaniard was nervous: his lethal forehand did not hurt, his drop-shot did not work, he left three balls in the net, had several unforced errors and lost his serve. In addition, a different Carlos was perceived, one who was gesticulating and fighting with himself in frustration and desperation.

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       However, the Spaniard managed to overcome this pressure and find his rhythm. He managed to break the Norwegian's serve, thanks to a miscalculation of the latter, who did not know how to defend a lob. With this break, Alcaraz tied the match 4-4. Nerves now invaded the Norwegian, who also had to deal with the fans who showed their support for the Spaniard. However, the Norwegian knew how to keep his composure and almost managed to break Alcaraz's serve for set point; unfortunately for him, Alcaraz managed to hold his serve and won the game with a tremendous crosscourt forehand to make it 6-5. In the last game of the first set, and with three set points in his favor, Carlitos held his serve and signed the definitive 7-5.

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       The Norwegian's mistakes and nerves at the end of the first set allowed the Spaniard to have a confidence boost that allowed him to easily win the first three games of the second set. His performance reminded me of Nole's "psycho" mode and Nadal's "beast" mode. Yes, it was a dominant Alcaraz who showed such coolness that he left his opponent unresponsive and frustrated, just like the two historical players mentioned above do with their opponents.

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       In the 4th game, Carlos was again impetuous and rash. This is an aspect of the teenager's game that needs to improve (although it is understandable given his age and inexperience). Not in vain, more than once, Juan Carlos Ferrero and his assistants were seen gesticulating a "tranquility", "calm down" to the youngster. Alcaraz was able to keep his rhythm and maintain his effectiveness. On the other hand, the Scandinavian suffered physical problems and could not prevent Alcaraz from winning his first Masters 1000 title of his career.

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Datos curiosos del encuentro:

• Carlos Alcaraz es el quinto campeón más joven de un Masters 1.000:

1. Michael Chang - 18 años, 157 días
2. Rafa Nadal - 18 años, 304 días
3. Rafa Nadal - 18 años, 318 días
4. Richard Gasquet - 18 años, 331 días.
5. Carlos Alcaraz - 18 años, 333 días.

Ni Djokovic ni Federer lograron esta hazaña

• Esta victoria ubicará a Carlos Alcaraz en el puesto 11 del ranking de la ATP ( su meta este año era terminar entre los primeros 20)

• Este año, el murciano tiene una marca de 18-2.

• Carlos Alcaraz supera a Novak Djokovic como el campeón más joven del Miami Open. Nole tenía 19 años y 314 días cuando se coronó campeón en la edición de 2007.

• Alcaraz es el primer español en ganar el torneo. Ni Carlos Moyà, ni David Ferrer ni Rafael Nadal pudieron lograrlo.

Interesting facts about the match:

• Carlos Alcaraz is the 5th youngest Masters 1000 champion:

1. Michael Chang - 18 years, 157 days 2.
2. Rafa Nadal - 18 years, 304 days
3. Rafa Nadal - 18 years, 318 days
4. Richard Gasquet - 18 years, 331 days.
5. Carlos Alcaraz - 18 years, 333 days.

Neither Djokovic nor Federer achieved this feat.

• This victory will place Carlos Alcaraz in the 11th position of the ATP ranking (his goal this year was to finish in the top 20).

• This year, the Murcian has a record of 18-2.

• Carlos Alcaraz surpasses Novak Djokovic as the youngest Miami Open champion. Nole was 19 years and 314 days old when he was crowned champion in the 2007 edition.
• Alcaraz is the first Spaniard to win the tournament. Neither Carlos Moyà, David Ferrer nor Rafael Nadal were able to do so.

La portada fue elaborada con Canva.

The cover was made with Canva

Fuente de la foto

Puede ver mis otros artículos sobre el tenis acá:

You can check out my other articles about the tennis player here:

1.Nadal vs. Alcaraz : La batalla Generacional del Tenis Español Acaba de Empezar

2.-¿Debe la ATP Imponer Sanciones Más Fuertes a los Jugadores de Tenis?

3.- CARLOS ALCARAZ: UN JUGADOR PARA NO PERDER DE VISTA