ATP Rio: Carlos Alcaraz and Diego Schwartzman after hard work in the final
The final at the ATP 500 tournament in Rio de Janeiro is calledCarlos Alcaraz vs. Diego Schwartzman . However, both had hard work to do on Saturday in order to reach the final.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Feb 20, 2022, 07:59 am
Carlos Alcaraz continues to cause a sensation at the ATP 500 tournament in Rio de Janeiro: The 18-year-old Spaniard is in the final of the clay court tournament after an Italian double shift and could win his first title at the 500 level on Saturday. On Saturday, Alcaraz defeated top seed Matteo Berrettini 6: 2, 2: 6 and 6: 2 in the quarterfinals, which had been postponed due to rain.
"It means a lot to me. I surprised myself that I was able to win two games in a row in one day. It's difficult to win one game, two is even more difficult," Alcaraz said after the game. Interview.
The good news for Alcaraz: His next opponent also had to work extremely hard to reach the final. After more than three and a half hours of battle in the last eight, Diego Schwartzman still had enough strength in the semifinals to beat his Argentinian compatriot Francisco Cerundolo 7:6 (4) and 6:3.
Delray Beach: Norrie and Opelka in the final
"I don't know how I did it. I really don't understand how I did it, but it happened. So I'm very happy and of course it's incredible for an Argentine player to play in front of such a crowd in Brazil ' Schwartzman said after the encounter.
At the parallel ATP 250 tournament in Delray Beach, there will be a final for the two top seeded players. Cameron Norrie initially beat Tommy Paul safely 6: 3 and 6: 3 before Reilly Opelka followed suit with a 7: 6 (8), 6: 7 (3) and 7: 6 (4) win over John Millman.