Carlos Alcaraz handed shock defeat in Argentina Open

Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, suffered an unexpected defeat in straight sets to Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open.

Ranked 19 places lower than Alcaraz, the Chilean 28-year-old secured a 7-6 (2) 6-3 victory in under two hours in Buenos Aires.

Jarry remained untroubled on his serve in the first set, winning it in a tie-break, and crucially broke Alcaraz in the eighth game of the second set.

World number 21 Jarry will now face Facundo Diaz Acosta in Sunday’s final, following the Argentinian wild card's 6-2 6-3 win over Federico Coria.

This victory marked Jarry's first win against Alcaraz in their third encounter, extending the Spaniard’s winless streak to nine tournaments since his Wimbledon triumph last summer.

"Third time lucky," Jarry said of his first win over Alcaraz. "Carlos is one of the best players so it means a lot, especially after the battles I've had a couple of days ago. It's been very tough physically, so I'm very happy to be able to come back.

"I didn't start very well and couldn't win points on his serve, but I came back little by little."

The Chilean didn't face any break point in the first set and after the first two games in the second set, Jarry claimed a decisive break in the eighth game.

Reflecting on the defeat, Alcaraz expressed his disappointment and vowed to work on improving various aspects of his game.

“It has been a difficult defeat for me, it has hurt me a lot.” Punto de Break quoted Alcaraz as saying following his loss to Jarry.

“There are many things to improve. The level has to rise, I have played good tennis but far from my real level.

“I have prepared well, physically I feel good. But this type of defeat hurt, you have to know how to read the games better and from there move forward, there is no other option.”

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