Norrie Battles Past Hobbled Alcaraz For Rio Title

Carlos Alcaraz appeared well on his way to a second consecutive Rio Open presented by Claro title on Sunday, when he led Cameron Norrie 7-5, 3-0 0/30. But a resurgent Norrie and physical issues for the Spaniard proved too much to overcome.

Second seed Norrie rallied for a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 victory after two hours and 42 minutes in the ATP 500 final. The triumph marked the Briton’s fifth ATP Tour final and his first hardware of the season.

Alcaraz was not at his best in the early going, but when he crushed a backhand return winner to capture the opening set, momentum was fully on his side. Norrie showed frustration as he relinquished an immediate service break in the second set and the match appeared to be slipping away.

But the lefty refocused just in time to stay in the match and Alcaraz’s right leg began to bother him. The Spaniard had it wrapped in the middle of the second set and his movement thereafter became noticeably hindered, as did his serve.

As Norrie acted as a wall at the back of the court, Alcaraz tried everything possible to fight his way to the finish line. From serving and volleying to crushing returns and rushing forward, the Spaniard searched for solutions despite his physical struggles.

The World No. 2 played ultra-aggressive tennis to rally from a break down in the third set and put himself within a few more big shots of victory. From jaw-dropping power from the baseline to making consistent use of his drop shot to end points quickly, the Spaniard kept his hopes of a second consecutive title in Rio de Janeiro alive.

But Norrie never panicked and let the tidal wave of Alcaraz's shotmaking overwhelming. After crushing an ace down the T to end the match, Norrie dropped to his knees and let our a roar to celebrate.

Did You Know?
Alcaraz defeated Norrie in the final of the Argentina Open last week in Buenos Aires. This was the first time two players have played finals against one another in back-to-back weeks since Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray split titles in Madrid and Rome in 2016.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/afA6lFY