(Buenos Aires) For his return after three and a half months of absence due to injuries, Carlos Alcaraz (world no. 2) won the clay-court tournament in Buenos Aires on Sunday by beating masterfully, in a final sometimes turning at the demonstration, Cameron Norrie (12e) 6-3, 7-5 in 1 h 33 min.
Facing the British left-hander, who was playing his second final this year after the one lost in Auckland last month, the 19-year-old Spanish prodigy won the seventh title of his career, in his ninth final.
The debates were very balanced in the first round until 3-3, between two players starting the game with a bang. Norrie even overtook Alcaraz on several occasions at the start of the round.
But he then managed the first break, on a deep forehand attack. Break that he confirms immediately, on a cushioning, before again delighting the service of the Briton and pocketing the first set in 36 minutes.
In this round, Alcaraz was very efficient on serve, passing 68% of first serves and not conceding any break points.
Continuing his momentum, he took Norrie’s first service game to come away 2-0 early in the second set, then 5-2.
Powerful forehands, scathing returns, explosive backhands, drop shots, and sometimes even volleys, speed of execution… everything succeeded in Alcaraz.
The injuries (abdominal tear, then muscle injury to the right calf) which led him to forfeit before his quarter at Paris-Bercy in early November and then before the Australian Open in January do not seem to have altered his physique and his game off standards that made him the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history last year.
The Murcian serves for the match. His game then crumbled, his serve weakened, unforced errors became more frequent… Norrie took the opportunity to get his first two break points of the game at 5-3.
Alcaraz saves the first, but commits a double fault on the second. Norrie, again threatening, comes back to 5-4 then recovers to 5-5 on his serve.
But the world No. 2 finds the necessary resources to revive its fine mechanics and win in two sets.
“I was very focused, confident in my game, I’ve been working for months, it’s never easy to resume so it’s a special moment,” he said after his Argentinian triumph, in a central Guillermo Vilas archi-full.