Rio Open Highlights: Carlos Alcaraz brushes off Nicolas Jarry challenge to advance to Rio Open 2023 final – Watch Highlights

For the first time this season, things were looking truly bleak for Carlos Alcaraz. Qualifier Nicolas Jarry was giving the Spaniard all he could. The Chilean was twice within two games of victory at 4-4 and 5-5 in the second set, with Alcaraz receiving treatment on his upper left leg after holding on both of those occasions. But the 19-year-old reeled off eight straight games in devastating fashion for a 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-0 victory.

“I’m so proud of myself,” Alcaraz said after winning his eighth match in 11 days. “To be in a final again in my second tournament is a really special moment for me… I couldn’t ask for a better start of 2023.”

By improving to 8-0 on the season, Alcaraz ended the five-match Rio run of Jarry, who did not drop a set across two qualifying and three main-draw victories.

“It was a really tough first set, coming back from a break down,” Alcaraz said. “And then playing a tie-break that I didn’t really play well, it’s tough to come back.

“Then I came back from 0/40 in the first game [of the second set]. It was really tough. But [I kept] a positive attitude to stay there and [took] my chances… It’s all I can say. But honestly, I don’t know how I did it.”

For the second straight week on South American clay, Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie will meet in an ATP Tour final as the top two seeds. Alcaraz earned a 6-3, 7-5 win against the Briton last week in Buenos Aires to improve to 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Rio Open Highlights: Carlos Alcaraz brushes off Nicolas Jarry challenge to advance to Rio Open 2023 final – Watch Highlights