Holger Rune has ended the winning streak of Carlos Alcaraz after beating him in the Barcelona Open final.
Rune overcame first set nerves to beat Alcaraz, to win what is his first title at ATP 500 level.
Since winning the Barcelona Open title, Rune revealed that he took inspiration from Novak Djokovic to lift his first trophy in two years.
While his opponent appeared to be struggling physically and could not bring his best level in the second set, Rune was still full of praise for Alcaraz after the match.
Holger Rune praises ‘amazing’ Carlos Alcaraz after Barcelona Open final
This was a second successive final for Alcaraz, who won the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time last week.
Although Alcaraz could not win back-to-back titles, Rune wanted to mention his opponent’s recent success in his trophy ceremony speech and was full of praise for his fellow 21-year-old.
“I want to also say congrats to you, not just for this week, but also for Monte Carlo,” Rune said about Alcaraz. “You know, I watched you win and you know you are truly doing something amazing for tennis and also for sport as well.
“Congrats to your team also, you are really doing a great job so I wish you all the best for the future.”
This was a fourth professional meeting between Alcaraz and Rune, with both players now having two wins apiece.
What has Carlos Alcaraz said about Holger Rune?
There were plaudits all round on Pista Rafa Nadal, as Alcaraz heaped praise on the Barcelona Open champion.
Rune had food poisoning recently, and Alcaraz was keen to point that out and speak about their time growing up as junior players.
“First of all I have to say Holger, congratulations on an amazing week,” said Alcaraz. “I mean coming from Monte Carlo you had to retire, coming to Barcelona showing great tennis to people that enjoy watching tennis.
“I have to say congratulations to your team, we’ve been seeing each other since 12-years-old, time flies (laughs). So, I’m just really happy to see us in this position, how far we have been together, so just congratulations and keep going.”
Both players will be in the top 10 of the ATP rankings come Monday, with Rune climbing to world number nine following his triumph.
While Alcaraz has reached another final, he will now drop down one place to world number three after Alexander Zverev won the Munich tournament.
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