Impressive Alcaraz wins in Madrid for 4th title of year
MADRID >> When Carlos Alcaraz played in his first Madrid Open as an 18-yearold, his goal was to gain experience and learn from the top players.
Only a year later, Alcaraz already feels he belongs among the best.
The Spanish teenage sensation capped another impressive week with a straight-set victory over Alexander Zverev on Sunday to win the Madrid Open and become the secondyoungest player to win two Masters 1000 titles.
His comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win over Zverev followed victories over his idol Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
“Last year I was going through these experiences for the first time, playing against the best players, playing in the Masters 1000, and I learned a lot,” Alcaraz said. “Now it's different. I go onto the court knowing that I can win, with the confidence that I can win at any moment.”
Alcaraz became the youngest winner in Madrid, and the second youngest to win two Masters 1000 trophies after Nadal won in Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005 as an 18-year-old. Alcaraz had already become the youngest to enter the top 10 since Nadal did it in 2005.
Golf
HOMA TAKES WELLS FARGO >>
Max Homa played solid, steady golf during a week of cold, wet conditions and a back-and-forth duel with Keegan Bradley, closing with a 2-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Wells Fargo Championship.
An emerging star on the PGA Tour whose only missing achievement is contention in a major, the 31-yearold
Homa finished at 8-under 272 at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. He won for the fourth time overall, third in 15 months and second since he gave up his popular podcast.
FLESCH RALLIES FOR WIN >> Steve Flesch rallied from four shots behind with a 7-under 65 for a one-shot victory in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, his second title at the TPC Sugarloaf.
Flesch also won this tournament in 2018, his only other win on the PGA Tour Champions.
Motor sports
VERSTAPPEN WINS MIAMI GP >> Max Verstappen used an aggressive early pass on Formula One championship leader Charles Leclerc then controlled the inaugural Miami Grand Prix for his third victory of the season.
The reigning world champion started third, but Red Bull quickly got the best of Ferrari for a second consecutive race. Leclerc
and Carlos Sainz Jr. had locked out the front row in qualifying for Ferrari, but Verstappen pounced at the start to get ahead of Sainz. LOGAN TAKES DARLINGTON >> Joey Logano bumped leader William Byron from behind on the last lap to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
Logano, the pole-sitter, tracked Byron for about 25 laps until catching him with one to go and hitting him hard in the rear bumper. Byron slid into the wall and Logano went on to his first win of the season and first at the track “Too Tough To Tame.”
Byron, who signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, seemed as if he'd keep up his team's dominant season over the final laps. Instead, Logano broke a 40-race winless drought.
Soccer
CITY THREE POINTS CLEAR OF LIVERPOOL >> Manchester City started celebrations to
mark a decade since its first Premier League title by trying to prevent the sixth success being as tense or dramatic with a rout started and ended by Raheem Sterling.
What had been a tight title race is now more firmly in City's control after a 5-0 victory over Newcastle sent the champions three points clear of Liverpool.
How costly Liverpool only drawing with Tottenham on Saturday could prove to be, with City now also holding a superior goal difference of plus-4 over its rival with three games to go.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CHASE >>
The Champions League is preparing to welcome back Arsenal after a five-season absence.
The north London club is close to sealing fourth place and a return to Europe's elite and lucrative competition after a 2-1 victory over Leeds pulled the team four points clear of Tottenham with three games to go.