Barcelona Open Archives

Rafael Nadal comeback ends in Barcelona Open second round

Rafael Nadal suffered his first defeat on his return to tennis after injury as he fell 7-5, 6-1 against Alex de Minaur on Wednesday in the Barcelona Open second round.

The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back on court this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well but eventually crumbled against the hard-working world number 11 from Australia.

Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of the 2023 season, is hoping to compete at the French Open in May where he is the record 14-time champion.

“On a personal level, for what is to come, the 6-1 in the second set is what had to happen today,” said Nadal, who explained he did not want to push himself too far.

“That’s the way I need to proceed today, to give me a chance to compete at Roland Garros,” he added.

“I’ll try to take a step further in Madrid, then in Rome, and if, in any tournament it’s worth going out there to give everything and die, it’s in Paris.”

The Spaniard, who has won the Barcelona clay-court title on 12 occasions, had eased past Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday in his first ATP Tour match since January, but said he was not favourite against De Minaur who has now won his last two clashes against the former world number one.

It proved a far tougher challenge and despite showing flashes of his supreme quality on the court named after him, Nadal came up short in what he said he believes is his final appearance at the tournament.

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The Australian broke in the first game and tested Nadal with a series of brilliant drop shots which Rafael Nadal could not reach.

However, Nadal hit back with a break of his own in the sixth game and consolidated with a fizzing backhand for a 4-3 lead.

De Minaur broke to love to take a 6-5 lead as Nadal went wide and sealed the first set when the Spaniard pushed a shot into the net, winning the final 10 points as Nadal started to struggle.

The 25-year-old Australian broke for a 2-1 lead in the second set when Nadal could not return a powerful passing shot, and secured another break for 4-1.

De Minaur wrapped up his emphatic second set performance with a third break when Nadal went long.

It marked what Rafael Nadal said was “realistically” his final appearance at a tournament he loves.

“I had the chance to say goodbye here on court and that means a lot for me,” he added.

“A week ago I felt I was not able to play any more at this event, that would be painful, but at least I played and now it’s the moment to keep going.”

Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas faces Sebastian Ofner later Wednesday in the second round of the Barcelona Open.

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Returning Rafael Nadal wants to enjoy comeback ‘gift’

Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal said Monday that returning to action at the Barcelona Open is a “gift” and he wants to enjoy every moment of what he expects to be the last year of his career.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner has not played an ATP Tour match since January, when he felt a hip injury flare up at the Brisbane International.

Nadal, who missed virtually all of the 2023 season, will face Italian Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday in the first round on the centre-court in Barcelona which bears his own name.

The 37-year-old withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters earlier in April and is hoping to compete at Roland Garros in May, where he is a record 14-time champion.

“More than lamenting where I wasn’t able to be, I prefer to be happy that I am here,” Nadal told a news conference.

“On a personal level it is a gift for me to be in Barcelona. I’m taking this as my last year and I want to enjoy every moment.”

Rafael Nadal, the record 12-time Barcelona Open winner, has not played a match on clay since winning the French Open in 2022.

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Despite viewing 2024 as his final year as a professional, the veteran said he was not setting any deadline for retirement.

“We’ll keep going forward until I have the feeling that it’s not worth it,” continued Nadal.

“I’m not putting a deadline on that, but as I’ve said, in the end life marks your path for you.”

The Barcelona Open draw had put Rafael Nadal on a collision course with Spanish compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals but the 20-year-old was forced to withdraw Sunday because of fitness concerns.

“Let’s hope he recovers well and quickly, it’s bad for the tournament because he’s the top seed,” said Nadal.

“I’m not in a position to be thinking about the semi-finals.”

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Alcaraz claims back-to-back Barcelona titles

BARCELONA: Carlos Alcaraz brushed aside Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets on Sunday to claim a second successive Barcelona title and hammer home his status as likely successor to Rafael Nadal as French Open champion.

The 19-year-old world number two won 6-3, 6-4 to bag his third trophy of 2023, after winning in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells, and the ninth of his career.

With 14-time French Open champion Nadal sidelined since January with a hip injury and world number one and two-time Roland Garros winner Novak Djokovic struggling with an elbow problem, Alcaraz reinforced his credentials as a major contender to add the clay-court Grand Slam title to the US Open he captured last year.

On Sunday, his only blip was dropping serve in the third game of the match.

From that point on, Alcaraz powered to a 79-minute triumph against the world number five, his fourth win in four meetings with the Greek.

Tsitsipas has now lost three finals in Barcelona after losing to Nadal in 2018 and 2021.

“It is incredible,” Alcaraz said. “To feel this energy and lift the trophy in Barcelona in front of my family and friends, and most members of my team are here as well.

“Playing this level and to lift the trophy in front of them is a good feeling for me.”

After Tsitsipas broke for a 2-1 lead, Alcaraz won five of the next six games to take charge.

His flamboyant shotmaking delighted his home crowd before a solitary break in the fifth game of the second set proved decisive.

“Me and my team were talking before the match about staying relaxed,” said Alcaraz who raced to the title without dropping a set.

“To want to play the tough moments, staying relaxed is the most important part for me. To forget the mistakes, and everything and be myself on court. Not to think about all the people watching, but just me, the court, the racquet and the final.”

Alcaraz now heads to the Madrid Masters where he is also defending champion.

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Tsitsipas sweeps into Barcelona semi-finals

BARCELONA: Stefanos Tsitsipas eased into the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open on Friday, beating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-2 to stay on a collision course with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Tsitsipas claimed the lone break of the opening set and then reeled off five straight games in the second as he won for the ninth time in as many meetings with Australia’s De Minaur.

The Greek second seed will play Lorenzo Musetti on Saturday as he bids to reach the Barcelona final for a third time. He was runner-up to Rafael Nadal in 2018 and 2021.

Tsitsipas, the losing finalist at January’s Australian Open, is bidding for his first title of the season. He lost to Alcaraz in the quarter-finals in Barcelona last year.

Musetti advanced via walkover earlier in the day when fellow Italian Jannik Sinner had to pull out because of illness.

“Sad to have to withdraw from my match today in Barcelona,” tweeted Sinner, who beat Musetti in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals last week.

“I’ve been feeling unwell for a few days now. Today the sickness got worse and I’m not able to play. I’ll take some time to rest and recover.”

Top-seeded Alcaraz faces Spanish compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarter-finals later on Friday.

Alcaraz, 19, is looking for his third trophy of the season after triumphing in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells.

Alcaraz outshines Carreno Busta to win maiden Barcelona Open title

BARCELONA: The 18-years-old Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has defeated his mentor Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 in the final to win the Barcelona Open.

The teenage Spaniard, who enjoyed a delightful season, has now won three titles during the period.

Although the scorecard of the final between the two Spaniards looks straightforward, the youngster had to go display a lot of endurance as he first competed in the semi-final for three hours and 40 minutes to defeat Alex de Minaur in the longest best-of-three match of the season.

In the final, Carreno Busta found it hard to get the rhythm against the passionate Alcaraz, who was striking heavily.

It is pertinent to mention here that Alcaraz is projected to climb to No. 9 in the ATP Rankings on Monday, making him the youngest player to crack the Top 10 since Rafael Nadal did it exactly 17 years ago after lifting his first Barcelona trophy.

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Schwartzman rallies past Alliassime, surges to Barcelona Open semis

BARCELONA: The Argentine Diego Schwartzman pulled off an astonishing 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime after being one set down to reach the semi-final of the ongoing Barcelona Open.

Alcaraz, who beat Auger-Aliassime to book a semi-final berth in the ongoing tournament, has now won 15 clay wins of the season and has managed to make it to the final four for the fifth time this year.

In an exciting match, Schwartzman pulled off an exceptional comeback to seal a stunning victory 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Schwartzman, after running to the final in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, is seeking his first title in 2022.

The Argentine, who spent more than four hours on the court, started his day with a comprehensive third-round victory over Lorenzo Musetti by 6-4, 7-5.

Following this victory, Schwartzman will now compete against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the first semi-final.

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Alcaraz stuns Tsitsipas to reach Barcelona Open semi-finals

BARCELONA: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz continued his exceptional run in the quarter-final of the ongoing Barcelona Open as the young Tennis star outshined top-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the final four of the tournament.

Alcaraz, who reached his fourth semi-final of the season after an exceptional victory over Tsistipas, will now storm into the top 10 of the ATP Tour Rankings on Monday.

His surge into the top 10 will make him the youngest player to book a position after his country’s great Rafael Nadal did it in 2005.

In an exciting match, Alcaraz neutralized an exceptional comeback from Tsitsipas to seal a stunning victory 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

Alcaraz seemed to get a bit more relaxed after his first set success, but Tsipsipas’s exceptional comeback in the second set forced the youngster to regroup and he managed to do that as he clinched the last set of the match to seal his ‘biggest victory on clay court’.

“Probably my biggest win on clay court. It was an unbelievable game that I played, an unbelievable atmosphere that I lived today on the court. It was unbelievable everything. The atmosphere here, the crowd, the level that I played, the level of the match. It was incredible,” Alcaraz said.

In another quarter-final, another Spaniard tennis player Pablo Carreno Busta booked his semi-final berth after an amazing victory over Norweigian Casper Ruud 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.

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Ruud scrapes past Ruusuvuori, advances to Barcelona Open quarter-finals

BARCELONA: Second seed Norweigian Tennis player Casper Ruud outclassed Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2 in the third round of the ongoing Barcelona Open, here on Friday.

The Norwegian has displayed some of his best tennis on clay and has reached his third ATP Tour quarter-final of the season with a resounding victory over Ruusuvuori.

The 23-years-old stole the show and dominated Ruusuvuori throughout the game with his consistent and heavy groundstrokes to advance after 76 minutes.

Ruud, who made it to the second round in his only prior outing in Barcelona last year, is now three wins away from winning his eighth tour-level title and seventh on clay.

The World No. 7 will return to the court later on Friday to face Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain or Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in the quarterfinals.

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Alcaraz outpowers Kwon in the second round of Barcelona Open

BARCELONA: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz displayed an electrifying performance in a successful Spanish homecoming as he outshined Korea’s Soon-woo Kwon in the second round of the ongoing Barcelona Open, here at Pista Rafa Nadal.

The Spaniard, who is playing in his home country for the first time since May, won his first career match in Barcelona, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, to get back on track following an early departure from Monte Carlo Masters.

Despite Alcaraz being in his electrifying best, the Korean Kwon added the drama by winning the second set of frames and displaying his talent.

Alcaraz was ranked 119 in the ATP Rankings a year ago when he competed in the Barcelona Open. The 19-years-old, however, took to the court this week with a career-high ranking of 11.

Alcaraz will now face his countryman Jaume Munar in the third round to book his spot in the quarter-finals. Munar, on the other hand, will be taking the court with great momentum as he thumped Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4, earlier on Wednesday.

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