Alcaraz beats Schwartzman to clinch Rio Open crown

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Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with his trophy during the awarding ceremony after the ATP 500 Rio Open's final match between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Diego Schwartzman of Argentina at Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)

Teenager Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest ATP 500 champion in the category's 13-year history by beating Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2 in the Rio Open final on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Spaniard won 76 percent of his first serves and converted five of six break points to prevail in one hour and 27 minutes at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.

"I can't believe it, honestly. It has been a great week for me playing at a great level," said the tournament's seventh seed. "It's my first tournament on clay for a long time so I'm really happy with the performance during the whole week. It's an amazing feeling right now."

It marked Alcaraz's second title on the ATP tour following his triumph at the Croatia Open last July.

Schwartzman heaped praise on his rival, predicting "great things" from the world No. 29 in the near future.

"He is very impressive at only 18," the Argentine said. "He is not only the future, he is already the present. He's going to do great things in tennis.

"He didn't make many mistakes in the final and showed a lot of power. He was better than me and deserved to win."

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