Alcaraz, Swiatek Win Miami Open Titles

April 4, 2022 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo Credit: Andrew Ong/USTA

 

A star-studded two weeks in Miami came to a close this weekend, as Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Poland’s Iga Swiatek claimed the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles titles at the Miami Open, respectively.

Swiatek completed the Sunshine Double on Saturday, winning titles at both Indian Wells and Miami, via a 6-4, 6-0 win over Naomi Osaka. The triumph was Swiatek’s 17th straight win overall, and earned her a third consecutive title.

“I just feel really satisfied and fulfilled and also proud of myself,” said Swiatek. “I feel like I have go to celebrate, because I don’t know how long I can keep up with this streak.”

The 20-year-old joins Steffi Graff, Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka as the only women to complete the Sunshine Double.

“I feel pretty privileged that I can be amongst those players, because I wouldn’t even dream of it a few years ago,” said Swiatek. “I knew it’s going to be tough playing these two tournaments in a row. I realized at the end it’s just another match and I took it step by step.”

Swiatek is also now the world’s top-ranked woman, becoming the first player from Poland, male or female, to ascend to that position.

“I am really satisfied and proud of myself for reaching the No. 1 spot,” said Swiatek. “I feel like my tennis is going the right way and my goal is to stay at No. 1 and continue what I am doing.”

On Sunday, Alcaraz took on Casper Ruud of Norway with the men’s title on the line. After falling behind a break early on in the opening set, the Spaniard regained his footing and defeated Ruud 7-5, 6-4 to capture the first ATP Masters 1000 title of his career.

“I have no words to describe how I feel right now,” said Alcaraz, who at 18-years-old is the youngest men’s champion in Miami Open history. “It’s so special to win my first Masters 1000 here in Miami. I have an unbelievable team with me and family. I’m so happy with the win and my team.”

Ruud broke early and jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. But Alcaraz won eight of the next nine games to take control of the match, and would go on to win in one hour and 52 minutes.

“I knew that Casper is playing unbelievable. He has a big forehand. I tried to play to his backhand first and attack all the time,” added Alcaraz. “I tried not to let him dominate the match. Forehand down the line, backhand down the line was a pretty good for me.”

Alcaraz moves up five spots in the world rankings to No. 11, while Ruud is up one spot to No. 7.

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Bethpage
Century

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