BARCELONA. Spain –
Teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz continued his impressive run by beating Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets to win the Barcelona Open final on Sunday for his third title of the season.
The 18-year-old Alcaraz won the all-Spanish match 6-3, 6-2 after having made it to the final a few hours earlier in a semifinal game postponed from Saturday because of rain.
Alcaraz will secure a spot in the top 10 for the first time when the new rankings come out on Monday. His tennis hero, Rafael Nadal, also won his first Barcelona Open at age 18 to crack the top 10 for the first time in 2005.
The victory at the Rafa Nadal centre court in Barcelona capped a long day for Alcaraz, who needed 3 hours, 39 minutes to rally past Alex de Minaur 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4 in their semifinal match in the morning.
The 30-year-old Carreno Busta, ranked 19th and seeking his seventh title on tour, beat Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour, 39 minutes in his semifinal Sunday.
Alcaraz broke serve twice in each set to cruise to victory in the final.
Alcaraz won titles at Rio de Janeiro in February and in Miami earlier this month. His first tour title came in Umag last year.
Like Nadal before winning the Barcelona title in 2005, Alcaraz came in as the 11th-ranked player in the world. A record 21-time Grand Slam winner, Nadal never dropped out of the top 10 since then.
Rain plagued the outdoor clay-court tournament in Barcelona all week. Both semifinals were suspended tied at 2-2 in the first set on Saturday.
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