Norrie and Alcaraz played the last of a total of five previous matches against each other just a week ago, in the final of the ATP 250 tournament in Buenos Aires. 19-year-old Alcaraz won his seventh title on the ATP tour in a two-set battle, as well as inflicting Nori’s ninth loss in the 13 finals held at that time.
In the first set of the Rio de Janeiro final, the initiative belonged to Alcaraz, who in the tenth game did not use a set point after the opponent’s serve, whereas in the 12th game he did not miss the opportunity.
The Spaniard, who would overtake world number one Novak Djokovic if he wins, appeared to be on his way to his eighth career ATP title early in the second set, taking a 3-0 lead and leading 0-40 in the fourth game. In the continuation of the set, Alcaraz experienced a fiasco, losing all three of his service games, thus earning Nori a chance to fight in the deciding set.
During one of the breaks, Alcaraz’ leg was bandaged, the Spaniard was unable to show his most active performance, however, also excelling with a number of both powerful and slashing attacks, giving Nori serious problems. However, the Spaniard’s opportunities were somewhat limited, as a result of which Norrie also served in the third set broke three times. Alcaraz managed to get “only” two in the deciding set breakswhich was not enough to bring the fight to at least a tiebreak.
This was Nori’s first triumph in the 500-point yeast tournament. The 27-year-old athlete born in the Republic of South Africa will move from 13th to 12th position in the world ranking in the new week, while Alcaraz will retain the honor of vice-leader.
In the continuation of the ATP tour, two 500-point tournaments (in Dubai and Acapulco) and a 250-point competition in Santiago, the capital of Chile, are planned in one week.
Game statistics
| Cameron Norrie | Carlos Alcaraz | |
|---|---|---|
| Elusive serves: | 3 | 4 |
| Double mistakes: | 5 | 4 |
| 1. serve: | 64% | 66% |
| Points after 1st serve: | 42/65 (65%) | 52/78 (67%) |
| Points after 2nd serve: | 20/40 (50%) | 15/37 (41%) |
| Break points: | 6/16 | 5/9 |
| Total Wins: | 110 | 110 |
Rio de Janeiro ATP 500 draw and final match protocol:
https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/c…
https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/s…
