Carlos Alcaraz dodges the Italian nightmare and repeats the final in Umag

The Spaniard, new number four in the world, beats Zeppieri in three hours and will seek the fifth title of 2022

MADRID, 30 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz had a tough battle (7-5, 4-6, 6-3) with the Italian Giulio Zeppieri to reach the final of the Umag tournament (Croatia), where last year he won his first ATP title, next number four in the world with this victory.

The 19-year-old from Murcia overcame his nightmare with his Italian rivals – three defeats out of six in 2022 were against transalpines and in Umag there were only Italians and him left – after almost three hours of the semifinal. Alcaraz was not found in the first set, but he saved three partial balls and scored it with 7-5.

Zeppieri put the defending champion on the ropes, but the Spaniard escaped without having them all with him. The Italian remained on his feet and, in an even second set, Alcaraz gave up the sleeve to the rest (4-6). Juan Carlos Ferrero's pupil stepped forward as expected in the third set, but he still had to sweat.

The Spaniard got 3-0, but Zeppieri recovered the disadvantage, returning the Italian nightmare for the Murcian. However, the wear began to take its toll on the also young but 168 in the world, who had to request medical assistance.

Alcaraz finished off his victory from there with a 6-3 that put him in the sixth final of 2022, in search of his fifth title of the year, the one that escaped him last week in Hamburg, and the sixth in total. Opposite, the Spaniard, who on Monday will take another step in the ATP ranking to fourth place, will have Franco Agamenone or Jannik Sinner.