Alcaraz to face Rune in Barcelona Open final

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz will play Holger Rune for the Barcelona Open title after straight-set semifinals on Saturday.

No. 2-ranked Alcaraz beat No. 14 Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, while Rune dispatched Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 on the outdoor clay.

Alcaraz holds a 2-1 record against the 13th-ranked Rune. The pair of 21-year-olds have yet to meet on clay. Alcaraz won their last meeting at 2023 Wimbledon.

Alcaraz won his first Monte Carlo Masters title last weekend and will be searching for his third title of the year and 19th of his career. He won the Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023.

Rune has four career titles.

“Since I was a little kid, I was here on Sundays watching the final,” Alcaraz said. “I played twice here, so being in a final here in Barcelona again means a lot. It’s been a really fun and great week, and let’s see if we can end tomorrow with a trophy.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis