dpa
Madrid
Carlos Alcaraz eased to another win over Stefanos Tsitsipas to take the Barcelona Open title again on Sunday.
Alcaraz has never lost to Tsitsipas and maintained that record to defend his crown in Catalonia.
A battle between the top seeds briefly threatened to be a closely contested affair, but Alcaraz soon took control, with his 6-3, 6-4 win wrapped up in an hour and 20 minutes.
It made for a successful start to the European clay season for Alcaraz a month out from the French Open, while Tsitsipas falls to a miserable 0-10 career record in ATP 500 finals.
Tsitsipas broke first, leading 2-1 early in the opener, yet he did not forge another break point across the rest of the match.
Alcaraz was quickly back on terms and dominated his next two service games, creating the opportunity to apply pressure to the Tsitsipas serve.
That paid off with a decisive break, allowing Alcaraz to take his second set point.
A slightly more measured second set followed, but it again went the way of Alcaraz, breaking at the second attempt for a 3-2 lead to which Tsitsipas could not respond.
