Sixteen months after lifting his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open, Murcian tennis prodigy Carlos Alcaraz Garfia claimed another title in Buenos Aires to start 2023, marking a fresh season after healing from injuries. The young Spaniard, nicknamed El Palmar, overwhelmed British opponent Cameron Norrie in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, to seize the tournament crown and claim his seventh career title. It was a historic moment on the clay at the Guillermo Vilas court, packed with fans eager to see the two favorites battle for the win.
The youngest world-class player to assert himself as a top contender began a campaign that would eventually set him on the path toward reclaiming the world number one ranking. He closed the Buenos Aires chapter with a strong margin behind Novak Djokovic, while the Serb faced a grueling season marked by injuries that reshaped his schedule. Djokovic had hoped to regain top spot with a victory in Rio and a return to Dubai on February 27 after the Australian Open, but his run ended in the semis there. The injuries—first an abdominal issue during Paris-Bercy last November and later a right semimembranosus muscle problem ahead of his Australian swing—had already forced him to reshuffle plans multiple times.
CHAMPION!
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Cameron Norrie 6-3, 7-5 to become the Argentine Open champion. pic.twitter.com/S3RR11SP3c
– Argentina Open
Alcaraz showed gradual improvement through the ATP 250 event. He faced a tough test in the second round against Laslo Djere, who had not dropped a set earlier in the week, then found his rhythm against Dusan Lajovic and delivered a multi-dimensional game against Bernabé Zapata in the semi-finals. In the final, his fluid tennis and depth of resources carried him to victory against the world number 12, whom he had faced four times before and not beaten in their last meeting. The Argentine audience rode the momentum with him, and Alcaraz delivered from the start, breaking at 36 minutes and taking the early advantage with a decisive fifth game and a confident ninth game to seal the first set 6-3.
The second set underscored his growing dominance. After a brief delay for a second-game timeout, Alcaraz faced a tense stretch as Norrie fought to rebound. Yet the Spaniard’s form blossomed under pressure, securing a decisive 3-0 stretch and a 5-2 lead before Norrie steadied his serve to push the set deeper. An impeccable service game by the Spaniard and a critical mistake from Norrie opened space for Alcaraz, who closed the match with a spectacular rally and a fall that epitomized the moment. He triumphed to claim the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, the seventh title of his career at just 19 years old, with earlier wins at Umag (2021), Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid, and the US Open in 2022. (Argentina Open) – citation.
Following the victory, Alcaraz reflected on the moment, saying it marked a special return after a challenging four months and injuries that disrupted his rhythm. He acknowledged the difficulty of balancing recovery with competition and noted that winning his first title in four months felt especially meaningful after a tough period on and off the court. (Argentina Open) – attribution.
The world’s number 554 and the Rio Open draw
The Brazilian Mateus Alves, ranked 554th, was set to be Alcaraz’s first opponent at the Rio Open, an ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. Alves, whose peak ranking has been 395, was not expected to challenge the second seed who had reemerged in Buenos Aires after a lengthy layoff and a run to the final. Alcaraz is slated to defend the title he won in the same tournament a year earlier, and in the second round he would meet the winner of the Fognini match or the opponent from that tie. Looking further ahead, the draw includes notable names such as Diego Schwartzman, Lorenzo Musetti, Pedro Martinez, Cristian Garin, Juan Pablo Varillas, Thomaz Bellucci, and Sebastian Baez in the blended field from South America and Europe.
On the opposite side, Norrie, who played the Buenos Aires final, sits as a top seed with a mission to translate the momentum into Rio. The roster also features Spaniards Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Jaume Munar, Bernabé Zapata, and Roberto Carballés, Argentine talents like Pedro Cachin, Etcheverry, Cerundolo, and the Brazilian duo Monteiro and Fonseca, along with players from Slovakia, Austria, Portugal, and Bolivia. The Rio Open field promises persistent competition as Alcaraz positions himself to defend his title while the tour pivots toward South America again in the months ahead.