Alcaraz lost in the Rio Open final

If won, Alcaraz will earn 500 ATP points and have the same 6,980 points as Djokovic. However, the world number two was unable to defend the title in Rio de Janeiro. Won 7-5 in the first set and led 3-0 in the second set, but Alcaraz lost after two hours and 43 minutes, due to the influence of a hamstring injury.

For the second week in a row, Alcaraz faced Norrie in the final of an ATP tournament. Last week, the 19-year-old won in two sets at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. Alcaraz got off to a good start in the rematch, winning the ball game at the end of the set to end the first set 7-5.

Not having the best ball feeling, Alcaraz still broke out at the beginning of the second set. The Spaniard led 3-0, then 30-0 in the next return game. But Norrie showed why he was the most winning player at the ATP since the beginning of the year. The second seed played enthusiastically, winning four games in a row to lead 4-3, before winning the second set 6-4.

Alcaraz took the lead again at the start of the third set, leading 2-0. But a recurrent hamstring injury made it difficult for the world's number two player to move, leading to losing two serving games in a row. In a corner position, Alcaraz played more recklessly, trying to finish every ball early. A series of forehand winners helped him drag the third set to 5-5, before continuing to lose the serve game. Norrie took the opportunity and closed the match with a 7-5 victory in the third set.

After four years, Norrie returned to South America to attend the clay tournaments. He performed more successfully than expected, being runner-up in Argentina and winning in Brazil. The British tennis player reached the final in three tournaments this season. At the beginning of the year, he finished second in Auckland, Australia.

Norrie and Alcaraz will travel to Mexico for another ATP 500 tournament this week in Acapulco. The hard court tournament also has the presence of other names such as Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz or Holger Rune. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev or Felix Auger-Aliassime attend the ATP 500 Dubai Championships.