Carlos Alcaraz easily overcame Alexander Zverev in the final of the Madrid Open to win his second ATP 1000 crown.
The teenager, after having overcome Nadal and Djokovic in successive days, breezed past the defending champion 6-3, 6-1 in straight sets.
The Spaniard entertained the home crowd with his variety of shots and athleticism as he overpowered Zverev with his relentless hitting to earn a seventh straight Top 10 win and Tour-leading fourth title of the year.
In a dominant first-set performance, Alcaraz successfully targeted Zverev’s forehand with his trademark power from the baseline as he consistently turned defense into attack with his agility, gaining the crucial break in the sixth game before serving well to lead.
Fuelled by momentum, Alcaraz continued to dictate the flow of the match in the second set as his shots continued to trouble Zverev, who was unable to control his groundstrokes.
The Spaniard broke the German’s serve three times in the second set to wrap up the win in just over an hour.
With the Madrid Open win, Alcaraz has now improved to 1-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Zverev, gaining revenge for his defeats in Acapulco and Vienna in 2021.
The 19-year-old is the second-youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles, after triumphing in Miami in March.
Rafael Nadal captured crowns in Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005 when he was 18.
He is now the youngest player since the start of the ATP Tour in 1990 to defeat three top-five players at the same event.
Alcaraz, who did not face a breakpoint in a dominant performance against the German, will rise to second in the ATP Race To Turin on Monday as he aims to make his debut at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals in November.
One slight hitch in an otherwise perfect campaign for Alcaraz was that his tumble in the quarterfinal was significant enough for him to withdraw from Rome Masters in a bid to recover for the French Open.
