Alcaraz to face Carreno Busta in all-Spanish Barcelona final

BARCELONA. Spain (AP) — Teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz saved two match points as he rallied to a three-set win over Alex de Minaur to reach the Barcelona Open final on Sunday.

Alcaraz won 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4 to setup an all-Spanish final against Pablo Carreno Busta, who defeated sixth-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4.

Both matches had been suspended Saturday because of rain. The final will be played later Sunday.

The 18-year-old Alcaraz, ranked 11th in the world and seeking his third title of the season, broke serve at 4-5 in the third set, converting on his first match point to secure the victory in 3 hours, 39 minutes.

Alcaraz won titles at Rio de Janeiro in February and in Miami earlier this month.

The 25th-ranked Minaur, playing in his first semifinal of the season, wasted two match points as he served for the match at 6-5 in the second set.

The match between eighth-seeded Carreno Busta and Schwartzman also resumed tied at 2-2 in the first set after being suspended Saturday. The 30-year-old Spaniard, a six-time winner on tour, went on to break serve two more times to advance to his first final of the season.

“It’s a dream to make it to the Barcelona final after losing two semifinals here (in 2018 and 2021),” the 19th-ranked Carreno Busta said. “It’s a great opportunity for me.”

Rain plagued the outdoor clay-court tournament all week, with organizers having to schedule the third round and the quarterfinals on Friday because of the delays.

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