ATP Rio de Janeiro: Carlos Alcaraz wins first 500 title
Carlos Alcaraz won the ATP Tour 500 tournament in Rio de Janeiro. The Spaniard defeated Diego Schwartzman 6:4 and 6:2 in the final.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Feb 20, 2022, 11:16 pm
At the beginning of the second set it looked like the rain that characterized the entire tournament week in Rio de Janeiro 2022. And Diego Schwartzman would have appreciated an interruption. Chair umpire Aurelie Tourte saw no reason to interrupt the final. Carlos Alcaraz was just as calm: The Spaniard won 6: 4 and 6: 2 and thus won his first championship at an ATP Tour 500 event.
Alcaraz had two Italian tasks to solve on Saturday, due to the changing weather conditions, the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held on the same day. And the teenager mastered both the hurdle Matteo Berrettini and the old master Fabio Fognini. Incidentally, the latter won the doubles competition in Rio alongside Simona Bolelli.
With this success, Alcaraz will move into the top 20 of the ATP world rankings for the first time. Juan Carlos Ferrero's protégé had won his only title so far in Umag last summer.