Spanish teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz yesterday rose three places to sixth in the men’s ATP rankings following his victory in the Madrid Open on Sunday.
The 19-year-old continued his blazing rise by demolishing Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 for his fourth title of the year and rubber-stamped his chances of lifting his first Grand Slam in the upcoming French Open.
“I really want to go to Paris to win a Grand Slam, to show my level in a Grand Slam,” Alcaraz told a news conference after winning the second Masters 1000 of his career.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“People are going to take me as a favorite, but I take that as motivation,” he added.
He said he would miss the Rome clay-court tournament this week after injuring an ankle in beating Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals on Friday.
“This morning, because of the fall against Rafa, I woke up with a more swollen ankle and I also had a blister that had become infected,” he said. “It was a little difficult to walk, but ... we were able to do a few things to be at 100 percent for the match.”
Before the Madrid tournament last year, Alcaraz was ranked 120th in the world, before yesterday’s update to No. 6.
“I have five more to go to be the best in the world,” he said of his No. 6 ranking.
He became the youngest US Open quarter-finalist of the Open era in September last year, then won his first Masters 1000 title in Miami early last month.
The only younger player to reach that a second Masters 1000 title milestone was Nadal, who won in Monte Carlo and Rome when he was 18.
Alcaraz turned 19 on Thursday and over the next two days battled past Nadal in 2 hours, 28 minutes and Novak Djokovic in 3 hours, 36 minutes.
“I am 19 years old, which I think is the key to be able to play long and tough matches in a row. I am feeling great physically,” he said.
“It feels great to be able to beat these players. To beat two of the best players in history and then Zverev, the world No. 3. He is a great player. I would say this is the best week of my life,” he said.
‘EVERYONE SAW’: The visitors were left fuming after Jules Kounde was fouled by Claudio Echeverri in the buildup to the winning goal and it went unpunished Spanish champions Barcelona on Monday fell to a damaging 2-1 defeat at Girona to leave them trailing Real Madrid by two points at the top of La Liga. Los Blancos beat Real Sociedad on Saturday to overtake the Catalans and Hansi Flick’s side could not defeat Girona in an gripping derby clash to reclaim the lead. Teenage star Lamine Yamal missed a penalty for Barcelona, who took the lead through defender Pau Cubarsi just before the hour mark. However, goals from Thomas Lemar and Fran Beltran helped Girona, 12th, mount an impressive comeback. “In the end Girona deserved it, they had a lot of
A dominant Cade Cunningham on Thursday scored 42 points as the NBA-leading Detroit Pistons swatted aside the New York Knicks 126-111 on the NBA’s return from its brief All-Star Game break. Billed as a must-watch clash between two Eastern Conference rivals each in red-hot form, the game at Madison Square Garden became an exhibition for Cunningham, who also provided 13 assists and eight rebounds. The 24-year-old burnished his credentials as a Most Valuable Player contender, helping a young, surprise-package Pistons side to improve the best record in the entire NBA this season so far, to 41-13. After the game, Cunningham said that he
Amanda Anisimova on Monday was handed a walkover into the last 16 of the Dubai Open after her opponent Barbora Krejcikova was forced to withdraw from the WTA 1000 event. The American second seed enters the round-of-16 against Janice Tjen without swinging a racket as two-time Grand Slam winner Krejcikova pulled out due to an issue with her left thigh. They became the seventh and eighth players to pull out, a list that includes the world top two Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Tjen booked her meeting with Anisimova thanks to a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 win in her round-of-32 match against 2021 US
Amanda Anisimova on Thursday ended a tearful Mirra Andreeva’s Dubai title defense with a comeback 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory in the quarter-finals. The second-seeded American trailed fifth seed Andreeva by a set and a break before rallying to complete a 2 hour, 38 minute win. She booked a place in the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the fourth time in her career. “I was almost in tears there at the end,” Anisimova said. “It made me emotional seeing her like that. I feel we both won today.” Anisimova was to face fellow American Jessica Pegula, who beat Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-3,
RSS