ATP Barcelona: Alcaraz ended his perfect week on a happy Sunday for Argentines Machi González and Molteni

Carlos Alcaraz ended a perfect week in Barcelona ATP 500 and won the traditional for the second consecutive year Count of Godó Trophy, on a day that also brought great joy to Argentine tennis. The Spaniard, number two in the world, dominated the Greek in the final Stephen Tsitsipas, fifth-placed, whom he beat 6-3 and 6-4 in an hour and 18 minutes of play to become the first player in five years to string together celebrations in the Catalan tournament. Who had been last? Nothing less than Rafael Nadalwhich added three between 2016 and 2018.

In the preview of the decisive singles duel, there was a Lazio party. Why Massimo Gonzalez AND Andrew Molteni They close an unforgettable week shouting champions in doubles, with a victory (that tastes like a bang) by 6-3, 6-7 (8-10) and 10-4 against the Dutch wesley kooloff and the British neal skupski, first favorites and leader of the standings. The Argentine duo, who started in qualifying, added the third title of this 2023, after those won in Córdoba and Rio de Janeiro, again on brick dust.

Alcaraz was clearly superior in the final, even if it took him a few games to get into the game. Perhaps because he was given the opportunity to do something new for him: to reconfirm the title in an ATP tournament. He didn’t succeed last year, when he lost the final of Umagwhere he had won his first crown in 2021. Nor last February, when he surrendered in the decisive duel in Rivera competition he had won in 2022.

Tsitsipas capitalized on that moment of doubt, broke in the third game and was up 2-1 on the board. The blow made the Murciano react, who began to take more and more initiative and complicate the Greek, especially with those drops that he dominates very easily and which unbalance his rivals.

The Spaniard immediately recovers his counterattack and builds his victory with a great game on his serve – he no longer gave the Greek a chance to break – and a series of impressive shots, which made the audience delirious. Tsitsipas tried again and again to find a way to contain his rival, seeking advice from his father and coach, Apostlesbut he could not find a way to do it.

“This is amazing,” Alcaraz said. “Feeling this energy and lifting the trophy in Barcelona in front of my family and friends, with some members of my team. Playing at this level and winning the title in front of them is a big illusion for me.”

The Murciano admitted that before the final “I was tense”, but that “a good warm-up” and a chat with his team helped him relax.

“I tried to enjoy the match. To play the important moments, being calm is the most important thing for me. Forgetting mistakes and being myself on the pitch. Not thinking about the people who are watching, just focusing on myself, on the pitch , on the racket and in the final,” he commented.

Alcaraz – who started the year struggling with injuries, which caused him to miss the Australian Open– He won his third title of this 2023. He shouted himself champion in February 2023 Buenos Airesbeating the British in the final Cameron Norieand in early March, in the Masters of Indian Wells 1000when it surpassed Russian in the determining instance Daniel Medvedev. He accumulates a record of 23 victories and only two defeats (final in Rio and semifinal in Miami).

In Barcelona he lifted the trophy without giving up a set. He beat the Portuguese in his debut Bruno Borges; then he racked up victories against his compatriots Robert Baptist Agut AND Alexander Davidovich -the only one who managed to take him even to the tie break in a set-; he dropped the British in the semi-final Daniel Evans and beat Tsitsipas in the final, extending the history of the meetings between the two until 4-0.

The Murciano has reduced the gap in the standings with Novak Djokovic, who continues to lead by just 365 points (the difference was 470 last Monday). Even if he won’t have the chance to overcome it in the next few weeks.

The Serbian, who accumulates 7,135 units, secured the number one position until after the Masters of Madrid 1000, which will be played between Wednesday and 7 May. It’s that although he dropped out of that race with right elbow problems, he’ll only drop 360 for last year’s semis and stay at 6,775. And Alcaraz must defend the title in magic box (where Nadal won’t play either), with which, in the best of cases, he would be left with the same harvest, 6,770.

The Murciano would then have the opportunity to return to the top only in Rome Masters 1000, from 10 to 21 May. And if it does, it might get to Roland Garros as the leader of the world rankings.

González and Molteni, the big surprise of the week

The Alcaraz celebration in Barcelona surprised no one. The coronation of Massimo Gonzalez AND Andrew Molteni double, yes. Because the Argentines were far from being the favorites in the Catalan challenge. The two blue-and-whites started from qualifying, in which they won two games, and ended up lifting the trophy by defeating world ranking leaders Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in a tough final.

Machi and Molto broke their opponents serve at the first break point, in the second game. And, although Koolhof and Skupski fought back to level the score in the third, the Argentines got their second break of the game in the sixth.

The albiceleste duo dominated all registers of the game. Solid at serve, tough on groundstrokes, with more legs to cover the court and precise when she decides to go to the net, without making unforced errors. The first set fell to their side in 34 minutes, 6-3.

Confident, González and Molteni started the second set with the third afternoon break, but the match was stabilizing. In the fourth game they parried a 0-30 to keep serve, but gave way in the eighth, empty.

Equality maintained until tiein which the Argentine pair lifted three set points before losing 10-8. However, González and Molteni bounced back to impose their dominance in the tie-break, on 14 minutes, and lift the trophy.

González, 39, from Tandil and world number 27 in doubles, and Molteni, from Buenos Aires, 35 and ranked 30 in the ATP, won their fourth doubles title. The three of this 2023 (Córdoba, Río and this one in Barcelona) joined the one they had conquered last year in Gijón, on indoor hard courts.