MIAMI (Reuters) - Spanish 14th seed Carlos Alcaraz capped a dream run at the Miami Open with a 7-5 6-4 win over Norwegian world No 8 Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday to secure the biggest win of his young career.
The 18-year-old Alcaraz earned his first ATP Masters 1000 crown and is the first Spanish man to triumph in Miami after eight previous final appearances by his compatriots, including five by Rafa Nadal.
Alcaraz was roughed up by Ruud in the early stages of the match between the two up-and-coming players but roared back from a 4-1 deficit to take the opener with an overhead smash on his third set point.
From there, the Spaniard refused to relinquish control as he went up a double-break for an early 3-0 lead in the second set where Ruud managed to get one back but ultimately had no answer as Alcaraz kept up the pressure in a match that featured two first-time ATP Masters 1000 finalists.
With victory within his grasp, Alcaraz dropped just two points in his final three service games and coolly served out the one hour, 52 minute match to love in the final game.