DESPITE being out with injury since October, Murcia’s Carlos Alcaraz bounced straight back in his tournament return to win Sunday’s Argentina Open final in straight sets(6-3, 7-5) against Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
The 19-year-old from El Palmar looked fully-recovered from his abdominal and hamstring problems to take the ATP 250 clay court event in Buenos Aires.
The victory means the world number two is breathing down the neck of Novak Djokovic in the rankings.
“I felt very comfortable playing the final,” Alcaraz said post-match.
“I knew that it was going to be really difficult. I started really focussed on what I had to do at the beginning, my game, my level and this is the level that I have to play in finals.”
He became the first Spaniard to win the Buenos Aires trophy since Rafa Nadal in 2015 and is also the first teenager to win the event, overhauling the previous youngest winner, Casper Ruud, who took it aged 21 in 2020-
In his usual sporting approach, Alcaraz praised his opponent Cameron Norrie: “You are an amazing player, a really, really tough player to play, and the most important part is that you are one of the best guys on the tour.”