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World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defended his title in straight sets at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, playing his first match in six weeks with an abdominal tear Champion Andrei Rublev defeated.
World No. 8 Rublev won 6-2, 6-1 in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who won 6-2, 6-1 in Saturday’s first semi-final. Defeated Kasper Rudd 6-2.
Alcaraz will now face Luther in Sunday’s third-place playoff. The 19-year-old was forced to withdraw from the season-ending ATP Finals after suffering an abdominal injury during the Paris Masters. Nonetheless, the Spaniard has done enough to secure a year-end world No. 1 ranking.
Despite the limited amount of time he has to prepare, Alcaraz is happy he was able to test himself against some of the top players.
“It’s my first points and my first race since the Rolex Paris Masters. I couldn’t prepare as much as I wanted but to be able to come here and play against the best players in the world for the 2023 season Prepare, it’s still good,” Alcaraz said on the court after the game.
Satisfied with his performance, Rublev is now looking forward to Sunday’s final against Tsitsipas.
“I’m happy to win today. Carlos hadn’t played before today and I’ve been able to play here, so it’s easier for me. In the final, it won’t be easy against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but I can’t wait It’s going to be fun to go out there and have fun,” Rublev said after his win.
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