RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, seen by some as Rafael Nadal’s successor in ocher, won his second career title at 18 after winning Umag last summer in the ATP final. . 500 Tournament in Rio Argentine Diego Schwartzman with 6-4, 6-2, on Sunday.
With this new title, acquired like the previous one on the ground, Alcaraz, 29th in the world at the time of its Brazilian final, will enter the top 20 (19th) in the next ATP ranking published on Monday.
In the first set, the young Spaniard managed to get Schwarzman’s serve twice, the second of which was 4-4. In this game, he earned two break points from a damped volley with a backhand and converted the first from a backhand pass. He then won the first set 6-4 for his engagement.
On his way, he made a break in the first game of the second set with a new amortized backhand from the baseline.
Changing his shots further, still distilling a few drop shots, he then disgusted Schwartzman on a set that sometimes turned around in class, to win this round 6-2 and the match.
Alcaraz can be happy with his week in Rio, where he beat Matteo Berrettini (6th in the world) in the quarterfinals, Fabio Fognini (38th) in the semifinals and Schwartzman (14th) in the final.
Diego Schwartzman, who played the fourteenth final of his career at the age of 29, still stumbles to the last step, like last Sunday in Buenos Aires where he lost his title, a victim in the final of the Norwegian Casper Rudd.
A little consolation: his new place in the final will allow him to win another place in the ATP rankings on Monday, where he will show 13th place.
