17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz with the next talent test: victory against Alex de Minaur
Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his first victory on the ATP Tour at the age of 16 at the beginning of the year. Now, he defeated his first top 30 success with a win over Alex de Minaur .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Aug 02, 2020, 10:36 am
Not many players manage to win their opening match on the ATP tour. Not even Roger Federer, who has 20 Grand Slam trophies at home today, was able to accomplish this feat. On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz's debut was successful in February of this year when he - slipped into the tournament by wildcard - was able to bring down his compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas in three highly competitive sets.
The outcry was befitting, in Spain - the youngster's homeland - a new Rafael Nadal was already celebrated. And the young man himself has big goals, as he mentioned in an interview a few weeks ago: "I want to become the world's number one. And win as many Grand Slams as possible," said Alcaraz. But there is still a long way to go, after the lockdown of the first few days, the now 17-year-old was at least for tournament tennis again for the first time.
First top 30 win
Last week, Alcaraz even won the first event of the JC Ferrero Equelite Sport Academy Championship - with a final victory over Joao Sousa. This week, the Spaniard went a step further and Alcaraz celebrated his first top 30 win with a three-set win over Alex de Minaur. It is Alcaraz's seventh victory since he returned to competition tennis on Wednesday - without losing a game.
"I gave a great level from start to finish and showed that I can compete against the big players, physically and mentally, against them"; The Spanish Marca quoted the 17-year-old after his6: 3, 2: 6 and 6: 4 victory.