Carlos Alcaraz sets sights on tennis’ year-end No. 1 spot
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Carlos Alcaraz returns to action at this week’s Cincinnati Open.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MADRID – After capturing back-to-back Grand Slam titles and a silver at the Paris Olympics, world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz said one of his key goals for the rest of the season is to finish as the top-ranked player in the world.
The 21-year-old French Open and Wimbledon champion, who lost a thrilling Olympic final to Novak Djokovic,
Alcaraz is 450 points behind world No. 1 Sinner in the ATP live race to the season finale in Turin, the separate year-to-date standings that serve as a measuring stick for the year-end No. 1 battle.
“Obviously being No. 1 is a goal every time that I’m (behind) and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you end the race No. 1, in the rankings it’s quite similar, so you’re going to end No. 1,” Alcaraz said.
“So I’m really focused on that. I’m focused on going to every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, doing a good result just to get better in the race. This year, ending the year as No. 1 is one of my main goals right now.”
Cincinnati runner-up in 2023, Alcaraz will begin his campaign against Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin as he returns to hard-court tennis for the first time since reaching the Miami quarter-finals in March. The Cincinnati Open is an important tune-up event for the Aug 26-Sept 8 US Open.
“I’m excited to play here again. Obviously great memories from last year, reaching the final, losing a really tight and epic match (to Djokovic),” Alcaraz said.
Djokovic withdrew from Cincinnati after his Olympic triumph.
Popyrin could face Alcaraz as a first-time ATP 1000 champion, as the Australian plays Russian Andrey Rublev in the Montreal Masters final on Aug 12.
Said Popyrin: “It means the world to reach this final. It’s an amazing feeling and achievement. I have to pat myself on the back.
“But tomorrow will be all hands on deck and back to work.”
Rublev, who skipped the Olympics to prepare for the North American hard courts, said he made the right scheduling choice, adding: “That was the plan, to be set for the US Open. I guess if I’m in the final of Montreal, it must be working.”
Andrey Rublev, who skipped the Olympics to prepare for the North American hard courts, said he made the right scheduling choice.
PHOTO: AFP
On the women’s tour, defending champion Jessica Pegula on Aug 11 advanced to the WTA 1000 final in Toronto by defeating Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-3, giving her a chance to be the event’s first back-to-back winner since 2000.
Sixth-ranked Pegula eliminated the 24th-ranked Russian in 83 minutes to book an all-American final on Aug 12 against Amanda Anisimova, who ousted US eighth seed Emma Navarro 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
Pegula, trying for the first repeat in Canada since Martina Hingis in 1999-2000, is 2-0 against Anisimova, most recently winning in April at Charleston.
“She’s probably one of the biggest, cleanest ball strikers I’ve ever played against. So when she’s on, it can be really tough,” Pegula said of Anisimova.
“Tomorrow definitely is going to be a battle and I’m going to have to do my best to just make her play a lot of extra balls and try to be aggressive when I can, because when she’s on she can hit a lot of winners and take the racket out of your hand sometimes, so I’m going to have to be smart tomorrow.” REUTERS, AFP
