ATP roundup: Carlos Alcaraz books Barcelona Open final spot; Ben Shelton makes clay milestone in Munich

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run on Spanish soil, defeating France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 to reach the final of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. With this victory, Alcaraz moves one step closer to a third consecutive title at his home tournament, having previously lifted the trophy in 2022 and 2023.

Battling not only the seventh-seeded Fils but also gusty winds, Alcaraz extended his winning streak to nine matches. The Spaniard remained composed throughout the 75-minute semifinal, keeping his unforced errors to just 13 compared to Fils’s 38, which ultimately proved costly for the Frenchman.

Alcaraz will now face sixth seed Holger Rune of Denmark in the final. Rune advanced with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov, converting four of six break-point opportunities. Rune’s efficient performance marks his first clay-court final since Rome in 2023 and will propel him back into the ATP Top 10 when the new rankings are released Monday.

Meanwhile, at the BMW Open in Munich, Ben Shelton made history by becoming the first American man since Andre Agassi in 2002 to reach the final of a clay-court ATP 500, ATP 1000, or French Open event. Shelton overcame a slow start to defeat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 in a dramatic semifinal.

Cerundolo came within two points of victory in the second-set tiebreaker but couldn’t convert, allowing Shelton to push the match to a third set, where he seized control and completed the comeback.

Shelton will meet top seed Alexander Zverev in the final after the German ousted Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 7-6 (3), 6-3. Zverev, already a two-time champion in Munich (2017 and 2018), will look to claim a third title at his home tournament in front of a supportive local crowd.

SportsLigue