18-year-old Spanish sensation, Carlos Alcaraz has been one of the most consistent players in 2022 after his fellow countryman, Rafael Nadal. Destined for greatness, Alcaraz recently won his first Barcelona Open title after beating Pablo Carreno Busta in the final. Earlier today, he also played one of the longest semi-final matches of 2022 against Alex De Minaur. After winning in Barcelona, he achieved his career-high ranking, which should give him plenty of confidence ahead of the Madrid Masters.

Carlos Alcaraz achieves rises to the 9th spot in the ATP rankings

After reaching the quarter-final of the Barcelona Open, Alcaraz cemented his entry into the top 10. When the ATP releases the new rankings on Monday, he will rise to No.9 on the ATP rankings. Truly, it’s a remarkable achievement. After the rain interrupted the semifinals on Saturday, he played back-to-back matches on Sunday to claim his maiden Barcelona Open title.

DIVE DEEPER: Bravo! Carlos Alcaraz Saves 2 Match Points to Beat Alex de Minaur at Barcelona Open 2022 Semifinals

Earlier in the day, he played for 3 hours and 40 minutes in the semi-final against the Australian player, Alex de Minaur, in a rain-affected match. After losing the first set in a tie-break, Alcaraz came back and won the second set in a tie break after saving two match points. He won the third set 6-4 to complete a spectacular comeback to win the match 6-7(4),7-6(4),6-4.

After an exhausting semi-final, many didn’t give chance to Alcaraz to win the final on the same day. However, showing exceptional fitness and tremendous mental resolve, Alcaraz cruised to a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 win over fellow Spaniard, Pablo Carreno Busta in the final. With this win, he’s now 23-3 in 2022 with three titles triumphs. Earlier this year, he also won the Rio Open and won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Miami.

Alcaraz will be a big threat to Rafael Nadal at the French Open

Alcaraz’s career path is pretty similar to Rafael Nadal‘s. Interestingly, Nadal entered the top 10 on 25 April 2005 and Alcaraz will achieve the same feat on the same date 17 years later. He has already shown his clay-court prowess in Barcelona and should be a major threat to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at this year’s Roland Garros.

Currently, Nadal is nursing a rib injury and could make his comeback at the Madrid Open. We have already seen their match-up at the Indian Wells semi-final. But that was on the hard-court, as fans are eagerly waiting to see a clay court match-up between the two Spaniards.

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Can Alcaraz pose a threat to Nadal at Roland Garros? Let us know in the comments.