Carlos Alcaraz says what he did wrong in the first set of the Barcelona Open final which allowed Holger Rune to beat him

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Carlos Alcaraz has fallen just short of Barcelona Open success, with Holger Rune winning their final in Spain.

Rune says Alcaraz is ‘doing something amazing for tennis’ given his current displays, having just won the Monte Carlo Masters.

But Alcaraz was outdone by Rune in the Barcelona Open final, with the latter beating the former 7-6(8-6), 6-2 for the title.

Rune’s success comes immediately after his frustrating Monte Carlo Masters tournament, where he couldn’t complete his opener due to food poisoning.

But he has bounced back in superb fashion, with the Dane rising four places to ninth in the ATP rankings after his win.

Carlos Alcaraz admits lack of patience in Barcelona Open final loss to Holger Rune

Alcaraz meanwhile has dropped to third, and did his utmost to analyse where he went wrong against Rune when speaking after the defeat.

“A little patience,” said Alcaraz. “I started the match very well, hitting great shots, and he was playing faster and flatter, which I think worked in my favour.

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“But after my break, I think he changed his tactics, and in the end he started getting more balls in, he ran more, and the rallies became longer and more intense.

“That’s what I was missing – being more patient and adjusting my game plan to wait for my moment. I rushed things at times, and he took advantage of that really well.”

Carlos Alcaraz plays down injury fears after medical treatment versus Holger Rune

Worryingly, the runner-up received treatment on his upper right leg on two occasions during the final of the outdoor clay clash.

Alcaraz is set for an MRI on his leg amid the injury, although he has played down fears of it affecting his appearance at the upcoming Madrid Open.

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“At the start of the second set, everything was very intense and I felt the adductor in my right leg was very strained,” he said.

“From what I can tell now, I’ll take two days of rest and then I’ll speak with the doctors and get some tests done. I trust that this won’t prevent me from being in Madrid.”

The ATP Masters 1000 event gets underway on Wednesday, with the 21-year-old a two-time champion in the Spanish capital.

He lifted the trophy in 2022 and 2023, with Rune calling Alcaraz the best player on clay in world tennis earlier this month.