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All you must know about French Open champ Alcaraz

June 09, 2024 23:49 IST

Carlos Alcaraz conquers Roland-Garros in a five-set thriller! The Spaniard claimed his first French Open title, defeating Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. 

Carlos Alcaraz

IMAGE: Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning the French Open.Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters

Factbox on Carlos Alcaraz

Age: 21

Country: Spain

ATP ranking: 3

Seeding: 3

 

Grand Slam titles: 3 (U.S. Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023, French Open 2024)

ROAD TO FINAL

First round: J.J. Wolf (United States) 6-1 6-2 6-1

Second round: Jesper De Jong (Netherlands) 6-3 6-4 2-6 6-2

Third round: 27-Sebastian Korda (United States) 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3

Round of 16: 21-Felix Auger Aliassime (Canada) 6-3 6-3 6-1

Quarter-finals: 9-Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) 6-3 7-6(3) 6-4

Semi-finals: 2-Jannik Sinner (Italy) 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3

EARLY LIFE

* Alcaraz started playing at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, where his father, Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, was the tennis academy director, before making his ATP main-draw debut at 16 in the 2020 Rio Open.

CAREER TO DATE

* He became the youngest men's quarter-finalist in the Open Era at the U.S. Open in 2021.

* He became the first teenager to beat Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who share 45 Grand Slams between them, in the same tournament -- and on consecutive days -- to win his second ATP Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open in 2022.

* He defeated fifth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud to clinch his first major title at the U.S. Open in 2022, becoming the youngest champion at the hardcourt tournament since American Pete Sampras (19) in 1990.

* He then became the youngest world number one in ATP rankings history.

* He won nine titles as a teenager, behind only Bjorn Borg, Nadal, Mats Wilander, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi.

* Beat Djokovic to win Wimbledon and become the first player outside the men's 'Big Four' (Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray) to win the Challenge Cup since 2002.

* Reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2024, where he lost to Zverev. Defeated Daniil Medvedev to win his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.

* Beat Zverev in the 2024 French Open final to become the eighth Spanish player to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

Source: REUTERS
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