Alcaraz Wins Queen’s Club Final for 1st Title on Grass, Reclaims Top Ranking Ahead of Wimbledon

Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)
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Alcaraz Wins Queen’s Club Final for 1st Title on Grass, Reclaims Top Ranking Ahead of Wimbledon

Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)

Carlos Alcaraz won the Queen’s Club Championships final on Sunday for his first ATP title on grass and reclaimed the top ranking, ensuring he will enter Wimbledon next month as the No. 1 seed.

Despite struggling at times in the first set, Alcaraz beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 for his fifth title of the year and 11th overall.

That saw the 20-year-old Spaniard move above Novak Djokovic in the rankings and confirmed the US Open champion as a serious challenger to the Serbian's crown at Wimbledon. Alcaraz lost in the fourth round to Jannik Sinner last year.

Sunday's final was Alcaraz's first on grass, in only the third tournament of his young career on the surface.

He had to save two break points in the eighth game of the first set, broke in the next game and then served out for the set.

Alcaraz won the only break point of the second set, when de Minaur double-faulted, and sealed the title on his first match point when the Australian sent a return long.



Lewandowski Scores 7th Goal to Give Barcelona 7th Straight Win in Spanish league

25 September 2024, Spain, Brcelona: Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Spanish Division Primera soccer match between FC Barcelona and Getafe CF at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Gerard Franco/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
25 September 2024, Spain, Brcelona: Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Spanish Division Primera soccer match between FC Barcelona and Getafe CF at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Gerard Franco/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Lewandowski Scores 7th Goal to Give Barcelona 7th Straight Win in Spanish league

25 September 2024, Spain, Brcelona: Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Spanish Division Primera soccer match between FC Barcelona and Getafe CF at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Gerard Franco/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
25 September 2024, Spain, Brcelona: Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Spanish Division Primera soccer match between FC Barcelona and Getafe CF at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Gerard Franco/DAX via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

With Robert Lewandowski on target again, Barcelona extended its perfect start to the Spanish league season.
Lewandowski scored his seventh goal in as many matches and Barcelona won its seventh in a row in the league by defeating Getafe 1-0 at home on Wednesday.
The triumph gives Barcelona its second-best league start ever, equaling the seven victories it also earned at the start of the 2017-18 season. The Catalan club won eight straight to start the 2013-14 season, The Associated Press reported.
“I'm really proud about my team. They fight 90 minutes or 95 minutes," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. “But also I'm very proud because the fans they realized that we needed them and they give everything. It's a good connection at the moment and I'm really happy about that.”
Barcelona has outscored its opponents 23-5 in its first seven games this season. It has a four-point lead over defending champion Real Madrid, which on Tuesday beat Alaves 3-2.
Lewandowski got his league-leading seventh goal from close range in the 19th minute. He picked up a loose ball inside the area after Getafe goalkeeper David Soria couldn't hold on to a high cross into the area.
The Poland striker, who had scored twice in a 5-1 rout of Villarreal on Sunday, was replaced by Pedri in the 77th.
Lewandowski's goal was Barcelona's 6,500 in 3,035 league matches, according to the club.
Iñaki Peña started in goal in place of Marc-André ter Stegen, who sustained a serious knee injury in the team's previous league match.
Barcelona players entered the field with a T-shirt with words of support for Ter Stegen, who is one of the team's captains.
Getafe, which nearly equalized with Borja Mayoral from close range in stoppage time, remains winless and in second-to-last place.
“That was a big scare, but the ball didn't goal in and we left with the three points,” Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde said.
Also Wednesday, Girona and Rayo Vallecano drew 0-0 in Girona.
Barcelona plays at Osasuna on Saturday. It then visits Alaves the following weekend.