Barcelona Open: Alcaraz sinks Fils to set up final with Holger Rune

Barcelona: World number 2 Carlos Alcaraz secured his place in his third Barcelona Open final with a convincing 6-2, 6-4 victory over Arthur Fils on Saturday.

Alcaraz will now face Holger Rune in the final, after the Danish sixth seed crushed Karen Khachanov in straight sets.

Alcaraz, fresh off his Monte Carlo Masters win last week, showed his dominance from the start. He broke Fils’ serve in both the third and fifth games of the first set, comfortably securing it.

The Spaniard improved his record to 14-1 in the Barcelona Open, saving the only break point he faced in the match on a breezy day.

“The first thing we have to be grateful for is the sun,” Alcaraz said about the conditions when asked.

“The sun was out, it wasn’t raining. There was [however] a lot of wind today, so I had to survive. It wasn’t about playing fantastic tennis, brilliant shot... It was about making the shots you have to do, no more than that” he added.

The 21-year-old’s impressive clay court form continues this season, following his Monte Carlo victory. The four-time Grand Slam winner has already clinched the Barcelona Open title in 2022 and 2023, missing out last year due to injury.

In Sunday’s final, Alcaraz will meet Rune, who stormed past Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 in their semifinal encounter. Rune dominated from the outset, holding his serve and breaking Khachanov twice to claim the first set.

Despite Khachanov saving two break points in the sixth game, Rune broke again in the ninth game of the second set, wrapping up the match with a passing shot to reach his first Barcelona Open final.