Alcaraz announces arrival on big stage

RIO DE JANEIRO • He has said he doesn't want to be known as the next Rafael Nadal, but now you can call 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz the youngest player to win an ATP 500 title.

Two years after winning his first Tour-level match in Rio de Janeiro against Spanish compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Alcaraz won the same event on Sunday when he defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final of the Rio Open in an hour and 27 minutes.

It was a second Tour-level title for Alcaraz after his victory in Umag last year and his 6-4, 6-2 victory against 13th-ranked Argentinian Schwartzman made him the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009.

ATP 500 events are the fourth rung of tournaments on the men's circuit, below the four Grand Slams, the season-ending ATP Finals and the nine Masters 1000 events.

"I can't believe it, honestly. It has been a great week for me playing a great level," Alcaraz said on court after his win.

"First tournament on clay since a long time, so I'm really happy with the performance during the whole week. It's an amazing feeling."

The Spaniard, who won last year's Next Gen ATP Finals, came into the final after having to play both his quarter-final and semi-final matches on Saturday because of a scheduling logjam due to rain earlier in the week.

He defeated top seed and world No. 6 Matteo Berrettini and another Italian Fabio Fognini, a former top 10 player, and the effort lifted him into a career-best 20th on the world rankings yesterday.

Alcaraz is the third-youngest top-20 player since 1990, after Andrei Medvedev and Pete Sampras, achieving the feat 13 days younger than compatriot and record 21-time Grand Slam champion Nadal in 2005.

Not that he is too keen on the comparison. Last month, he told the New York Times: "I don't want people to know me as a mini-Nadal or second Nadal. I just want to be Carlos Alcaraz."

Despite the inevitable comparisons, the Spaniards' styles are dissimilar and Alcaraz has a photo of Roger Federer, not Nadal, in his room.

At 1.85m, he is the same height as Federer and Nadal yet considerably shorter than the leaders of the new wave - Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Berrettini - all of whom are 1.93m or taller. But on the court, he does not look like an underdog.

His game is a bewitching blend of power, abrupt changes of pace, and quicksilver movement resembling that of a gymnast as he slides into splits in the corners and maintains his body control even in extreme positions.

"I think he's got greatness written all over him," said Paul Annacone, who coached Pete Sampras and Federer, and is generally wary of praising players too soon.

"His game is electric. It's a bit like lightning in a bottle. He's got that fast racket, like Andre Agassi did, and he's got the fast feet like Rafa does.

"He can play up on the baseline, and he can back up when he needs to."

Alcaraz's own coach, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, meanwhile, has spoken of his charge's mentality, saying: "On court, he's a fighter. The best players have character, a lot of it."

For the 18-year-old, however, he is just pleased to achieve a goal he missed out on last year.

Said Alcaraz: "To be in the top 20 was a goal for me at the end of the year (2021) and to be able to do that at the beginning (of this year) is amazing."

REUTERS, NYTIMES