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Carlos Alcaraz lifts his first trophy on home soil

On the day Rafael Nadal secured his 20th Grand Slam title, another Spaniard made history of his own.

Carlos Alcaraz was made to work, but the 17-year-old battled back to defeat Damir Dzumhur for his second ATP Challenger Tour title on Sunday. Alcaraz needed one hour and 48 minutes to prevail 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 under sunny skies in Barcelona.

It was a memorable victory for the Murcia native, who lifted his first Challenger trophy on home soil. With coach and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and close friend and current World No. 18 Pablo Carreno Busta in attendance, Alcaraz triumphed on the clay courts of the prestigious Sanchez-Casal Academy.

The talented teen joins elite company with the victory, becoming just the fifth-youngest player to win multiple titles in the history of the ATP Challenger Tour. At the age of 17 years and five months, only Richard Gasquet, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Rafael Nadal and Bernard Tomic were younger when they won their second title. It was in August that Alcaraz captured his maiden crown in Trieste, Italy, and now the ascent continues in grand fashion.

Youngest To Win Multiple Titles

Player Age Second Title Won
Richard Gasquet
16 years, 8 months
Sarajevo 2003
Felix Auger-Aliassime
16 years, 9 months
Sevilla 2017
Rafael Nadal
17 years, 1 month
Segovia 2003
Bernard Tomic
17 years, 3 months
Burnie 2010
Carlos Alcaraz
17 years, 5 months, 6 days
Barcelona 2020
Novak Djokovic
17 years, 5 months, 16 days
Aachen 2004
Juan Martin del Potro
17 years, 6 months
Aguascalientes 2006
In fact, only 12 players aged 17-&-under have won multiple titles on the circuit. Alcaraz cemented himself in the history books, joining a legendary list that includes current and former Top 10 stars Nadal, Gasquet, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, and Tomas Berdych, as well as fellow #NextGenATP stars Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner. Most recently, the Canadian joined the club in 2017, while the Italian achieved the feat last year.

"I'm very happy to win in Barcelona," said Alcaraz. "The truth is, I didn't know how it would go, because last week I lost in the second round in Biella. But, little by little I gained confidence and found my form. Many thanks to my team for supporting me and pushing me throughout the week. They helped me find the level that I needed to win."


Alcaraz won the U16 European Championship junior title at the same venue in 2018. This week, he turned in many clutch performances to triumph at Sanchez-Casal. In the first round, the Spaniard defeated Pedro Sousa, who had finished runner-up the week prior in Split, Croatia. That was followed by gritty deciding-set wins over Mario Vilella Martinez and Filip Horansky. And on Sunday, Alcaraz was forced to pull double duty after his semi-final was postponed due to rain. He would finish off qualifier Andrea Collarini in the morning and outlasted Dzumhur hours later.

Alcaraz is projected to rise more than 30 spots to a career-high No. 158 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. His 15 match wins since the COVID-19 restart are tied for the most on the ATP Challenger Tour. He owns a 15-3 record since tennis returned in mid-August, with Russia's Aslan Karatsev the only other player to notch as many victories (15-1 record).

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Next week, Alcaraz returns to his home base of Alicante for the Alicante Ferrero Challenger. He opens against India's Ramkumar Ramanathan, with a potential meeting with Daniel Elahi Galan in the second round. Galan reached the third round at Roland Garros last week.

Carlos Alcaraz to battle countryman Pedro Martinez in Alicante Challenger final

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When Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the only names on the list you are trying to join, you know you're on the cusp of something special.

This is where Carlos Alcaraz finds himself as he prepares for yet another final appearance on the ATP Challenger Tour. A victory over Pedro Martinez in Sunday's Alicante championship would see him join Djokovic, Del Potro, Gasquet and Auger-Aliassime as the only players aged 17 & under to lift three Challenger trophies.

The teenage titan has been tearing up the Challenger circuit in recent months, earning statement win after statement win while etching his name in the record books whenever he takes the court. One week ago, Alcaraz clinched the second title of his young career in Barcelona, and now he will vie for trophy No. 3 at his home base of Alicante. In fact, at the age of 17 years and five months, he would become the second-youngest player to win as many titles, behind only Gasquet.

Youngest To Win Three Challenger Titles

Age Player
Third Title Won
16 years, 10 months
Richard Gasquet
Napoli 2003
17 years, 5 months??
Carlos Alcaraz??
Alicante 2020??
17 years, 10 months, 9 days
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Lyon 2018
17 years, 10 months, 13 days
Juan Martin del Potro
Segovia 2006
17 years, 11 months
Novak Djokovic
San Remo 2005
There are few players as young as Alcaraz who can demonstrate the poise and maturity of a veteran. The Murcia native is as unflappable as they come, especially with the pressure on and his back against the wall. Alcaraz, who trains at the Equelite Ferrero Academy and is under the tutelage of former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, is producing a magical week at his home club.

He has registered consecutive wins from a set down to reach the final, extending his dominant run in deciding-set matches, which now stands at 11-2 since the restart following the COVID-19 hiatus. Against Juan Pablo Ficovich in the quarter-finals, he trailed 3-6, 0-3 before mounting a stunning comeback. And on Saturday, he rallied from a 1-6 deficit to defeat fellow Spaniard Mario Vilella Martinez.

"It's been another great week," said Alcaraz. "I wanted to improve physically this year and it's showing on the court. I am happy to play well at this tournament, at home, and I've been motivated for this for a long time. To play in front of my people is a great joy. It is also a motivation to do well in front of everyone that has been supporting me for so long."

Not only has Alcaraz been the deciding-set maestro, but the 17-year-old is also becoming the tie-break king on the ATP Challenger Tour. He is a combined 13-1 in tie-breaks in his young career and is a dominant 8-0 in 2020. When the pressure is on, the Spaniard shines.

2020 Challenger Wins Leaders (since restart on 17 Aug)

Player Win-Loss Titles Won
(1) Carlos Alcaraz
19-3 2
(2) Aslan Karatsev
15-1
2
(T3) Oscar Otte
12-3 1
(T3) Lorenzo Musetti
12-4 1
Martinez, meanwhile, is bidding for his first title since 2018. The World No. 97 entered the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday, continuing a breakthrough season of his own.

The 23-year-old is coming off a third round appearance at Roland Garros, his best result at a Grand Slam tournament. It's been a year of firsts for Martinez, who won his first match at a slam at the Australian Open, earned his first win on the ATP Tour in Cordoba and his first victory at the ATP Masters 1000 level in Rome, where he claimed his first Top 50 win over Sam Querrey.

On Sunday, Martinez will hope for another first. He has yet to defeat Alcaraz in two previous encounters. Last year, they battled twice on the Challenger circuit, with his 17-year-old countryman prevailing 6-3, 7-6(4) in Murcia and 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in Sevilla.

One year after falling to Pablo Andujar in the 2019 Alicante championship, Martinez is hoping to finally get his hands on the trophy.

"I am from Valencia and this tournament is very close to home for me. I feel at home here at the academy," said Martinez. "It's very important to have two Spanish players in the final, so I am looking forward to the match tomorrow. The matches in the quarters and semis were very tough, so I have a lot of confidence. It's going to be a competitive match and Carlos is playing at a very high level. Hopefully I can get the victory."

Carlos Alcaraz adds a third ATP Challenger Tour title

It has been a meteoric and historic rise for 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. With every victory on the ATP Challenger Tour, the Spaniard further cements his name in the record books. On Sunday, Alcaraz once again found himself in elite company.

The teenager claimed his third Challenger title and second in as many weeks, prevailing on home soil in Alicante. Competing at his home base of the Equelite Ferrero Academy, in the town of Villena, Spain, he overcame countryman Pedro Martinez 7-6(6), 6-3 to emerge victorious.

With his third Challenger crown, Alcaraz is carving an unprecedented path up the FedEx ATP Rankings. At the age of 17 years and five months, he is the youngest player to lift trophies in consecutive weeks and the second-youngest to claim three titles in Challenger history. Only Richard Gasquet was younger (16 years, 10 months) when he triumphed for the third time in Napoli in 2003.


Moreover, Alcaraz joins an exclusive club of players who have won at least three titles before turning 18. Gasquet, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the only other names on that list.

After opening his 2020 campaign just inside the Top 500, Alcaraz is blasting his way to the precipice of a Top 100 breakthrough. He is projected to soar to a career-high No. 136 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on Monday.

Youngest To Win Three Challenger Titles

Age Player
Third Title Won
16 years, 10 months
Richard Gasquet
Napoli 2003
17 years, 5 months
Carlos Alcaraz
Alicante 2020
17 years, 10 months, 9 days
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Lyon 2018
17 years, 10 months, 13 days
Juan Martin del Potro
Segovia 2006
17 years, 11 months
Novak Djokovic
San Remo 2005
There are few players as young as Alcaraz who can demonstrate the poise and maturity of a veteran. The Murcia native is as unflappable as they come, especially with the pressure on and his back against the wall.

After registering consecutive wins from a set down to reach the final, Alcaraz once again dug in his heels on Sunday. He would break right back when Martinez served for the first set at 5-3 and saved a pair of set points from 4/6 in the ensuing tie-break. It was one-way traffic from there, as Alcaraz sprinted to a 6-3 second set, prevailing after one hour and 44 minutes.

How good has Alcaraz been since the tour's restart in August? He is the first player to secure 20 match wins, posting a 20-3 record, and also owns three titles in just three months. After claiming his maiden crown in Trieste, Italy, he added a second trophy in Barcelona last week, before going back-to-back on home soil in Alicante.

Two stats stand out above the rest: Not only did Alcaraz extend his staggering record in tie-breaks to 14-1 in his young career, but he remains a perfect 9-0 in 2020. In addition, he concludes the week with an 11-2 mark in deciding-set matches since the circuit resumed on 17 August.

Alcaraz will next carry his 10-match win streak to Marbella for the Casino Admiral Trophy, set to commence in one week.

Challenger Match Wins Leaders (since COVID-19 restart on 17 Aug)

Player Win-Loss Titles Won
(1) Carlos Alcaraz
20-3 3
(2) Aslan Karatsev
15-1
2
(T3) Oscar Otte
12-3 1
(T3) Lorenzo Musetti
12-4 1

Teen to face strong field in Spanish seaside city

If Carlos Alcaraz is to win a third straight ATP Challenger Tour title and further etch his name in the record books, the 17-year-old will certainly have earned it.

The Spaniard faces a gauntlet of clay-court stars at this week's tournament in Marbella, including top seed Federico Coria and countryman Pedro Martinez. Coria and Martinez are two of four Top 100 players competing at the AnyTech365 Marbella Tennis Open, along with Gianluca Mager and Roberto Carballes Baena. Coria, Martinez and Carballes Baena all reached the third round at Roland Garros earlier this month.

Alcaraz has taken the Challenger circuit by storm in recent weeks, adding two more titles to his growing haul. At the age of 17 years and five months, he became the youngest player in history to lift trophies in back-to-back weeks, dominating in Barcelona and Alicante. Sitting at a career-high No. 136 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, the Murcia native is not only targeting a sweep of his home Challengers, but is hoping to move even closer to that coveted Top 100 breakthrough.

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His first task is an encounter with Italy's Lorenzo Giustino on Tuesday. Last month, Giustino qualified at Roland Garros, where he overcame Corentin Moutet 18-16 in the fifth set for his first Grand Slam victory. Also in the top half of the draw is former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo and sixth seed Jaume Munar, who lifted the trophy in Lisbon a week ago. Alcaraz could potentially face Munar in the second round, with Carballes Baena looming in the quarter-finals and Coria in the semis.

Marbella
The Club de Tenis Puente Romano hosts the third edition of the AnyTech365 Marbella Tennis Open

Alcaraz, who leads the ATP Challenger Tour with 20 match wins since the COVID-19 restart on 17 August, carries a 10-match win streak into Marbella. Another title would see him join Richard Gasquet as the only players to lift four or more trophies before their 18th birthday.

Meanwhile, Martinez and Mager lead the charge in the bottom half of the draw. Despite falling to Alcaraz in the Alicante final a week ago, Martinez is one of the hottest players in this week's field. The Spaniard cracked the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings after qualifying for his first ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome and surging to the third round in Paris.

Also residing in the bottom half is the other 17-year-old in the field: Holger Rune. The Danish teen is a former junior No. 1 and 2019 Roland Garros boys' champion.