Top seed Carlos Alcaraz lost to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the final of Hamburg Open 2022
Carlos Alcaraz took to Twitter to congratulate Lorenzo Musetti for winning the Hamburg Open and also thanked his fans for their constant support. Alcaraz, who was the No.1 seed, lost 4-6, 7-6, 4-6 in an all-#NextGenATP battle at the Hamburg Open. It is Musetti’s first ATP tour title.
It is definitely a hard loss to take for Alcaraz who was the clear favourite in the match. Speaking after the loss, the Spaniard said – “I think he deserved the win today. He played better than me, of course. He was more aggressive all the time. I didn’t play my best, but I fought until the last ball and I’m really happy with that.”
Alcaraz was not at his flying best in the championship clash, making uncharacteristic errors, but that was in part because his opponent kept him guessing and he was unable to find a rhythm. The Spaniard showed his fighting spirit when he crushed a huge inside-in forehand winner to save a breakpoint in the first game of the second set. But he was unable to stave off his opponent’s push for long, hitting a drop shot into the net later in the game to relinquish the break. Alcaraz won the second set in a tie-breaker but fell short in the deciding third set.
Carlos Alcaraz breaks into the Top 5 of ATP rankings despite losing the Hamburg Open final
Nineteen-year-old Carlos Alcaraz made history on Monday when he climbed to No. 5 in the ATP Rankings, becoming the second-youngest player in the 21st century to crack the top five. The only player who has achieved the feat at a younger age since 2000 is Rafael Nadal, who did it in May 2005 as an 18-year-old. Alcaraz had an opportunity to reach World No. 4 but settled for No. 5 after falling short in the Hamburg European Open final against Lorenzo Musetti.
“It means a lot. The hard work that I put in every day for reaching my dreams, [No.] 1, and little by little I’m reaching my dream. Top five for me is pretty amazing and I will keep going to be [No.] 1, said the teenager.
Alcaraz began his season at World No. 32, but has quickly surged towards the top of the sport. Alcaraz, Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the only three players this millennium who have broken into the top five as teens.
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