Carlos Alcaraz had a breathtaking season, conquering his first Major title and becoming the youngest year-end no. 1 player. Carlos lifted the trophy at the US Open and added two Masters 1000 crowns to his name in Miami and Madrid.
Carlos wrote history books at home in Caja Magica, becoming the youngest player with victories over Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. A teenager achieved that at 19 years and two days and took the record away from Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Alcaraz became the fifth player with wins over Nadal and Djokovic in back-to-back days and the first to topple them at the clay-court event! Alcaraz earned his first victory over Nadal in the quarter-final, beating his idol 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours and 28 minutes.
Carlos took full advantage of the fact that Rafa did not play for six weeks, dominating sets one and three to arrange the clash against Novak Djokovic. A teenager defended six out of nine break points and secured four breaks that carried him through.
Alcaraz landed 37 winners and made a fresh start in set number three to topple the king of clay and remain on the title course.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated two legends just after turning 19.
A day later, Carlos prevailed over world no.
1 Novak Djokovic 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 in three hours and 35 minutes of an epic battle. The encounter saw only three breaks of serve, and it was one of the finest duels of the season. The youngster stayed calm in the closing stages of sets two and three to emerge at the top and advance into the title clash.
Djokovic climbed back from 4-2 down in the first set and took charge behind the initial shot to keep the pressure on the other side. The Serb claimed the tie break 7-5 for a massive boost. The home favorite had no room for errors in the second set and kept pushing strong.
The more aggressive player fended off a break chance in games nine and 11 to extend his options. Carlos grabbed a break at 15 in the 12th game with a forehand down the line winner to force a decider and gain a massive boost.
Djokovic survived three break points in the final set’s fourth game and two more at 2-3 to remain in contention. Alcaraz fended off a break chance in game seven with a service winner, and Novak had a massive opportunity to create three break chances at 4-4 that could have sent him closer to the top.
He missed a routine forehand, and Alcaraz held at 30 for an enormous boost. The Serb denied a match point in game ten with a service winner and closed it with another after four deuces. The encounter went into a deciding tie break, and Alcaraz moved 3-1 ahead with a backhand down the line bullet.
Djokovic pulled the mini-break back with a volley winner at the net, and the Spaniard attacked first in the next one to open a 4-2 gap. Carlos generated a 5-3 lead with a good serve, and Novak stayed in contention with a deep return in the following point.
Djokovic sprayed a forehand mistake at 4-5 to face two more match points. He saved the first with a service winner, and Carlos seized the second with a forehand down the line winner to celebrate an epic victory and earn a massive record!
