Alcaraz Boosts Turin Hopes, Strengthens Top 3 Spot In Race

Carlos Alcaraz’s dream run to the title in front of his home fans at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell has consolidated the 18-year-old’s place in the Top 3 in the ATP Race To Turin.

The reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion defeated his mentor Pablo Carreno Busta in Catalunya on Sunday to make it three titles won in 2022. He moves within 70 points of third-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Race as he seeks to reach the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

Eight singles players and eight doubles teams will qualify for the season finale, to be held in Turin from 13-20 November, and Alcaraz is now 560 points clear of Daniil Medvedev in fourth and 1260 points ahead of the player currently occupying eighth spot in the Race, Casper Ruud.

Tsitsipas’ victory at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters two weeks ago had firmly established the Greek in second spot behind leader Rafael Nadal, but Alcaraz roared back with a strong showing in front of his home fans in Barcelona. His title run included an enthralling three-set quarter-final victory over top-seeded Tsitispas, and the 18-year-old now boasts a 23-3 match record for the season.

The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion Tsitsipas (2,530 points) and Alcaraz (2,460 points) remain behind leader Nadal (3,350 points), with the Spaniard due to return from a rib injury sustained in Indian Wells at the Mutua Madrid Open in May.

ATP Race To Turin Standings (26 April)

Medvedev has missed the start of the clay season due to a minor hernia procedure but the 2020 champion remains in fourth place with 1,900 points, while Indian Wells winner Taylor Fritz’s run to the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo ensures he remains a strong contender in fifth place with 1,765 points.

Sixth-placed Andrey Rublev (1,730 points) took the chance to exert pressure on the Top 5 as he surged to an 11th ATP Tour title at the Serbia Open, lifting the trophy on debut in Belgrade by overcoming World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and a wave of strong home support for the Serb at the ATP 250 event.

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 2022 season has stuttered somewhat since he clinched a maiden tour-level title in Rotterdam and reached the final in Marseille in February, but the Canadian retains a strong position in his push for maiden appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in seventh place with 1,630 points. Ruud (1,200 points) retains his place in eighth, and the Norwegian will be confident of increasing his points tally on his favoured clay in the coming weeks. The seven-time ATP Tour titlist reached the semi-finals on Nitto ATP Finals debut in 2021.

Jannik Sinner (980 points) and Matteo Berrettini (945 points) are the best-placed Italians in the race at 14th and 15th respectively. Sinner lost out to Alexander Zverev in an epic quarter-final duel in Monte Carlo, while Berrettini hopes to return to action by mid-May following surgery on his right hand.