ATP Umag: 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz wins first career title!
Carlos Alcaraz crowned himself the tournament winner on the ATP tour for the first time in Umag, Croatia, with a sovereign final victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jul 25, 2021, 09:29 pm
The Spaniard got off to a strong start and mostly had the better end to himself, especially in the long, intense baseline rallies. The no less than 17 years older Richard Gasquet had already had to complete a veritable marathon in the semifinals against Daniel Altmaier - the traces of this victory were increasingly visible in the veteran as the first round continued.
The clay court specialist Alcaraz, who was already known at a young age - equipped with a solid backhand and heavy forehand - knew how to take advantage of this from the middle of the first set. The Iberian grabbed the first break of the game and could not take this lead - with 6: 2, the first set clearly went to the 18-year-old, who had already defeated Filip Krajinovic and Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the tournament so far.
Alcaraz also in sentence two on top
This key continued at the beginning of the second movement. Again it was the youngster who was able to set the first pinpricks in the form of a break. And again this really gave the Spaniard a boost. Alcaraz immediately followed up with another and quickly pulled away with 4: 1 and a double break. In return, Gasquet had three chances to catch up at least one break, but the Spaniard destroyed all of them and put it to 5: 1 with a wonderfully courageous forehand drive volley.
The decision in this game. Although the veteran Richard Gasquet bravely braced himself against the impending defeat, there was little to be done against the lively Spaniard that evening in Umag. With 6: 2 and 6: 2, Alcaraz finally secured victory - and with it his first title on the ATP tour. This makes the Iberian not only the youngest finalist in the more than 30-year history of the Umag ATP event, he is also the youngest champion.
This means that Carlos Alcaraz is increasingly becoming one of the favorites for the title at the ATP 250 event in Kitzbühel. The Spaniard will travel directly from Umag to the Austrian Alps to fight for another 250 points for the world rankings. Alcaraz meets local hero Alexander Erler in round one.