Carlos Alcaraz made history on Monday when he cracked the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at World No. 20. No active player — including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — broke into the elite group at a younger age than Alcaraz, who is 18 years, nine months and 16 days old.  

“It’s really good to be in the Top 20,” said Alcaraz, who accomplished the feat by becoming the youngest ATP 500 titlist in category history (since 2009) on Sunday at the Rio Open presented by Claro. “That was a goal for me at the end of the year, so to be able to do that at the beginning is amazing.”

Eleven active players have broken into the Top 20 as a teenager. The only other active player who did it aged 18 was Nadal, who was 18 years, 10 months and one day old when he reached No. 17 on 4 April 2005.

Youngest Active Players To Crack The Top 20

Alcaraz is the youngest player to break into the Top 20 since Andrei Medvedev, who was 18 years, five months and one day old when he cracked the Top 20 on 1 February 1993.

It has been a rapid rise for Alcaraz, who was No. 406 in the ATP Rankings when he made his ATP Tour main draw debut in Rio de Janeiro two years ago. 

There is nobody younger than Alcaraz in the Top 250. Holger Rune, the World No. 88, is six days older than the Spaniard. Italian Luca Nardi, an 18-year-old who is three months and one day younger than Alcaraz, is at a career-high World No. 283.

– Research assistance provided by Joshua Rey

No. 20 Carlos Alcaraz, +9 (Career High)
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has jumped nine spots and climbed into the Top 20 in the ATP Rankings for the first time. The 18-year-old made history at the Rio Open presented by Claro, becoming the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals titlist, who defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final, is the youngest active player to have reached the Top 20. Read Rio de Janeiro Final Report & Watch Highlights.

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 12 Cameron Norrie, +1
The Brit has risen one place following his run to the title at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com. The 26-year-old overcame American Reilly Opelka in the championship match to capture his third tour-level crown. Norrie dropped just one set in Delray Beach and now holds a positive 6-5 record on the season. Read Delray Beach Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 19 Nikoloz Basilashvili, +3
The 29-year-old has returned to the Top 20 after he advanced to the final at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The Georgian, who lifted the trophy at the ATP 250 event in 2021, lost to Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the championship match. Read Doha Final Report & Watch Highlights.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 13 Diego Schwartzman, +1
No. 15 Roberto Bautista Agut, +1
No. 16 Taylor Fritz, +1 (Career High)
No. 18 Reilly Opelka, +2 (Career High)
No. 53 Arthur Rinderknech, +8
No. 63 Miomir Kecmanovic, +7
No. 76 Francisco Cerundolo, +24 (Career High)
No. 80 John Millman, +11

Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini claimed their fourth tour-level doubles title together on Sunday evening when they defeated third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 7-5, 6-7(2), 10-6 to win the Rio Open presented by Claro.

The countrymen did double duty on Sunday, winning their semi-final against Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(4), 6-2 earlier in the day. Fognini also played two singles matches Saturday, reaching the semi-finals before falling against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

“Fabio is amazing, he was playing singles all week with a lot of delays because of rain, but did not give up on the doubles and here we are with the title,” Bolelli said.

The last time the pair had triumphed was at the 2015 Australian Open. Bolelli is a nine-time tour-level doubles titlist and Fognini has lifted six tour-level doubles trophies.

The Italians won 64 per cent of their second-serve points compared to 50 per cent for their opponents. Bolelli and Fognini saved four of the six break points they faced.

Murray and Soares were pursuing their first title of the season. Soares, a Brazilian, was trying to earn glory in Rio de Janeiro for the first time.

“Sorry for Bruno, I know how much it means for a Brazilian to win in Rio,” Fognini said. “I love playing here, the fans carried me all week, all the way to this title.”

Carlos Alcaraz earned his first ATP Tour match win as a 16-year-old at the Rio Open presented by Claro two years ago. At the same tournament on Sunday, the 18-year-old Spaniard made more history.

The seventh-seeded Alcaraz defeated third-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2 to become the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. It is the second tour-level title of the teen’s career following his breakthrough in Umag last year.

“I can’t believe it, honestly. It has been a great week for me playing a great level,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “First tournament on clay since a long time, so I’m really happy with the performance during the whole week. It’s an amazing feeling right now.”

When Alcaraz stunned countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Rio de Janeiro two years ago, he was No. 406 in the ATP Rankings. With his big win Sunday, the teen is projected to climb into the Top 20 for the first time.

After Schwartzman missed a final forehand return one hour and 27 minutes into the final, Alcaraz fell to his knees in celebration. The reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion overwhelmed World No. 14 Schwartzman with his power and fearless play, winning 12 of the final 16 games on Quadra Guga Kuerten.

Alcaraz converted five of his six break points in the match. Overall, he won 55 per cent of his return points to put constant pressure on his veteran opponent.

The pivotal moment came at 4-4 in the opener. Schwartzman, who played more than five-and-a-half hours of tennis Saturday due to rain earlier in the week, battled hard to maintain contact with the seventh seed. But Alcaraz hit a stunning backhand passing shot from well behind the baseline to earn the deciding break of the set. From there, he seemed in control of the match.

The Spaniard immediately broke in the second set, but Schwartzman refused to go down without a fight, striking back in the next game. Alcaraz was determined as the rain began to fall in the Rio night, breaking again with a rocket-like forehand that the Argentine was unable to handle.

Like he did two years ago against Ramos-Vinolas, Alcaraz showed maturity beyond his years. Instead of letting the pressure of the moment get to him, he used his power, drop shots and trips to the net to finish the job.

“I think this is my game. It’s a lot of variety. It’s the key [to how] I won the match,” Alcaraz said. “I know how Diego plays and this was really important for me.”

It was an impressive week from Alcaraz, who lost his first set of the tournament on Tuesday against Jaume Munar by a lopsided 6-2 margin. But after that, the Spaniard played sensational tennis to shine on the South American clay.

Due to rain, he had to face two tough Italians — top seed Matteo Berrettini and former Top 10 star Fabio Fognini — on Saturday. But Alcaraz defeated Berrettini in three sets and Fognini in straight sets to reach the final. Once there, Alcaraz brought his best to take down the third seed.

Schwartzman, who lifted the Rio de Janeiro trophy in 2018, was pursuing his fifth ATP Tour title. The Argentine also reached the final in Buenos Aires last week.

“I think the South American clay season gives me a lot of confidence, points and rhythm,” Schwartzman said. “After Australia, I went back home not feeling very well. Physically I finished not in the best way in the first tournaments of the year. But then I made the semi-finals and two finals in South America, losing against I think the best opponents every tournament.”

When it came to the moments that mattered most, Cameron Norrie’s return game came to the party in the final of the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

The World No. 13 stayed patient to win tie-breaks in both sets against the big-serving of Reilly Opelka and capture a third ATP Tour title with a 7-6(1), 7-6(4) victory on Sunday.

Norrie opened 2022 with four straight losses but found his feet with a quarter-final run in Rotterdam before performing strongly this week to reach the final in Delray Beach. The 2021 BNP Paribas Open champion only dropped one set on his way to the title as he moved to a positive 6-5 match record for the season with his win over World No. 20 Opelka.

“I thought I played a very clean match,” said Norrie after the win. “I didn’t face a break point so that was great. I was happy with the way I played and obviously with the result.

“The tie-breaks I played extremely aggressively, the second one especially, I managed to put a couple of balls away and I was reading the play great. [I’m] super happy to get the win and beat a guy like Reilly, who is confident and playing well and won [the Dallas title] last week.”

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Norrie came out confidently and regularly found a way to make inroads on the Opelka serve, but the World No. 13 was still unable to convert any of the four break point opportunities he carved out in an engrossing first set.

The Brit persevered and eventually got his reward. Opelka had won six out of six tie-breaks during his title run in Dallas and another four this week in Delray Beach, but Norrie’s returning excelled under pressure and he took it 7/1 to seal the first set.

These guys came to PLAY today ⚡⚡@DelrayBeachOpen pic.twitter.com/XT3dbaB3Lc

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 20, 2022

Opelka then received treatment for a sore elbow but that didn’t seem to hinder his biggest weapon, the American ending the match with 25 aces to bring his tournament total to 81. He limited his opponent to just one break point in the second set but was unable to conjure one of his own against Norrie’s serve in the match.

The second-set tie-break was a tenser affair than the first, Norrie staying calm behind a backhand volley to secure the first mini-break of the tie-break and bring up match point at 6/4. Opelka then fired a forehand long to make Norrie the first British winner at Delray Beach after one hour, 52 minutes.

Opelka was positive about his performance despite Sunday’s defeat. “It was a nice two weeks,” said the American after the match. “I played a lot of matches here, a lot of long three-set matches, so my body is definitely feeling it.”

He also felt all-round improvements were responsible for his rise to a career-high ATP Ranking of 19. “Just going through everything [helps],” said Opelka. “Gaining more experience, more knowledge, getting stronger and fitter. It’s hard to pick one thing, there are so many little details that make a big difference. I think it’s just overall growth.”

With the win, Norrie takes a 2-1 lead over Opelka in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. The World No. 13 attributes the form that has brought him to the brink of the Top 10 to a change of mind set. “I’m able to dictate the play from the beginning of the point,” he said after the match. “I’m definitely more aggressive than I was when I [first] came on tour.

“I had a tendency to be too passive in the bigger moments and I’ve changed that a little bit. I’ve been the one being the protagonist, the one executing the short balls and moving the other guy.”

Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer completed a perfect fortnight in the United States as they claimed victory at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com on Sunday.

The top-seeded pairing held their nerve to defeat Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-4 and extend their winning streak to seven matches and earn consecutive ATP Tour titles.

Arevalo and Rojer partnered up for the first time at Delray Beach in 2021, losing out in the first round on that occasion. They did not play together again until the Melbourne Summer Set in January this year, but the newly cemented partnership has enjoyed immediate success and picked up its first title together at the Dallas Open without dropping a set.

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The top seeds looked on course for another comfortable victory in Delray Beach after dominating the first set and establishing a 4-2 lead in the second. One of Arevalo and Rojer’s few disappointments this year was a first-round loss to Nedovyesov and Qureshi in Sydney, however, and the Kazakh-Pakistani pairing proved a tricky prospect again.

The third seeds broke back and went on to force a Match Tie-break, but the El Salvadorian-Dutch pairing reasserted their control and sealed victory in one hour, 50 minutes. Arevalo and Rojer ended the match having won 75 per cent (33/44) of points behind their first serves, restricting their opponents to just two break points.

The Delray Beach title is the 31st of Dutchman Rojer’s career, while his partner Arevalo now has four.

If Novak Djokovic relinquishes the No. 1 ATP Ranking to Daniil Medvedev on 28 February, the Serbian will be happy for his rival.

“It’s in his hands. He deserves to be No. 1,” Djokovic said Sunday before his season debut at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “Eventually it’s going to happen. If it happens this week, I’ll be the first one to congratulate him.”

The World No. 1 will begin his 361st week atop men’s tennis’ mountain on Monday. If Medvedev lifts the Acapulco trophy, he will ascend to No. 1 the week of 28 February (Learn all scenarios here). 

For his part, Djokovic is solely focussing on what he can control in Dubai, where he owns a 41-6 record.

“The only scenario that I have in my head is to win every match that I play here,” Djokovic said.

The 34-year-old first played the tournament in 2007 and has never failed to reach the quarter-finals. Djokovic is a five-time Dubai titlist, most recently triumphing in 2020, when he earned consecutive Top 10 wins against Gael Monfils and Stefanos Tsitsipas to emerge victorious.

“It’s great to be here. I’ve had some wonderful results in this tournament. It’s been a while since I played for the first time in [the] Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” Djokovic said. “[I have] many wonderful memories on and off the court.”

It is a star-studded ATP 500, with all eight seeds inside the world’s Top 20. Marseille champion Andrey Rublev is the second seed and Rotterdam winner Felix Auger-Aliassime is seeded third.

There are also plenty of tough unseeded players in the draw, including former World No. 1 Andy Murray, former World No. 3 Marin Cilic and former World No. 8 Karen Khachanov, who could potentially play Djokovic in the second round if they both make it that far.

“It’s always a very solid, very hard draw and field. Every match you get to play is really on a Grand Slam, ATP Masters 1000 level. It is a 500 category, but it feels that it’s stronger than that definitely with the field of players,” Djokovic said. “I’m excited. I haven’t played a match since Davis Cup in Spain last December. Can’t wait to start an official match tomorrow night.”

^{Photo Credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images}
On Monday evening, Djokovic will play 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Lorenzo Musetti. It will be the Serbian’s first match of the season.

“Of course, [my] first match is going to be very important to kind of start off the campaign in this year’s tournament in a positive way,” Djokovic said. “I have a young, very talented, tricky opponent in Lorenzo Musetti, who has had a big win over [Hubert] Hurkacz a few weeks ago in Rotterdam.”

Djokovic’s only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Musetti came in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. The Italian took a two-set lead before the eventual champion stormed back to force a decider. At 0-4 in the fifth set, Musetti retired.

“We played a tough five-setter obviously in Roland Garros. Clay, different conditions. He likes the more bouncy conditions,” Djokovic said. “I think that this court is playing very quick, actually the quickest I ever experienced the surface here in Dubai. It was always fast, but a lot of players that I talked to have been saying the same thing — it’s very, very fast.

“Obviously if you serve well, it’s a big advantage. I’m hoping that I can get the good start of the match, hopefully nice atmosphere on the stadium. I’m definitely motivated and inspired to play my best tennis. We’ll take one day at a time and see how far I can [go].”

Russia’s Andrey Rublev completed a Open 13 Provence double on Sunday as he lifted the doubles trophy with Ukrainian Denys Molchanov, just hours after winning the singles title in Marseille.

The unseeded pair raised their level to rally from a set down, downing second seeds Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan 4-6, 7-5, 10-7 to end their debut week as a team in style.

With his victory, Rublev has become just the third player to sweep both the singles and doubles titles in the tournament’s 30-year history. Swede Thomas Enqvist clinched both crowns in 1997, while Frenchman Michael Llorda accomplished the fete in 2010. Rublev beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the singles final.

Molchanov and Rublev won decisive Match Tie-breaks in all four of their clashes at the ATP 250 event, triumphing after one hour and 31 minutes in the final as they sealed victory on their third match point.

Molchanov was competing in his second tour-level final, having lost in the Gstaad championship match in 2018 (w/Zelenay). Rublev has now earned three ATP Tour doubles titles, also triumphing in Moscow in 2015 (w/Tursunov) and Doha last season (w/Karatsev).

Klaasen, 39, and McLachlan, 29, were aiming to win their third tour-level crown together, after enjoying title runs in Cologne in 2020 and Washington last year.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect Carlos Alcaraz and Reilly Opelka’s withdrawals from the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

Another busy week on the ATP Tour will see action take place in Acapulco, Dubai and Santiago.

Novak Djokovic returns to action as the top seed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, while Daniil Medvedev leads the field at Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco, with both of those events classed as ATP 500s. Reigning champion Cristian Garin returns to home soil at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open, an ATP 250 clay-court event held in Santiago.

With plenty to look out for, ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

View Draws: Acapulco | Dubai | Santiago

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ACAPULCO
1) Medvedev Leads The Field: Medvedev came within one set of capturing his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, falling to Rafael Nadal in a five-set classic. The Russian returns to court for the first time since at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, where he will make his debut. The World No. 2 will open against Benoit Paire.

It is a critical week for Medvedev, who controls his destiny in the battle for the No. 1 ATP Ranking with Djokovic. If the Russian lifts the trophy in Acapulco, he will become the third Russian to accomplish the feat by climbing to the top spot on 28 February. Learn all the No. 1 scenarios here.

2) Defending Champion Zverev: Alexander Zverev has fond memories in Acapulco, having triumphed in Mexico last year. The German, who did not drop a set en route to the title, reached the final in Montpellier earlier this month. The World No. 3 will face American Jenson Brooksby in a promising first-round match.

At last year’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Zverev needed three sets to dispatch the American. This will be their second ATP Head2Head clash.

3) Rafa Is Back: Rafael Nadal reminded everyone what he is capable of at the Australian Open in January as he soared to his record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne. Fully rested, the Spaniard is back in action at a tournament he has enjoyed success at in the past, lifting the trophy in Acapulco in 2005, 2013 and 2020.

The 35-year-old, who owns a 20-2 record in Acapulco, takes on lucky loser Denis Kudla in his opening match.

4) Berrettini & Tsitsipas Aiming To Go Deep: Matteo Berrettini and Stefanos Tsitsipas will both be targeting their first title of the season in Mexico. Berrettini is making his debut and will begin against Tommy Paul, while Tsitsipas will be aiming to go one step further than last year, when he lost in the final. The Greek, who advanced to the championship match in Rotterdam earlier this month, faces Laslo Djere in the first round.

5) New Venue: The action in Acapulco will take place at the Arena GNP Seguros this year, a new venue that holds six courts and stadium seating of more than 10,000. The tournament site has increased by eight hectares after construction took place over the past two years.

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FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DUBAI
1) Djokovic Returns: World No. 1 Djokovic will compete for the first time this season when he takes to court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The Serbian, who has lifted the trophy at the ATP 500 event five times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015), opens against #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

It is a key week in his battle for top spot in the ATP Rankings with Medvedev. If the Russian wins the Acapulco title, he will climb to World No. 1. But Djokovic can put the pressure on Medvedev with a deep run in Dubai. Learn all the No. 1 scenarios here.

2) Canadian Threat: Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov have enjoyed strong starts to the season, helping guide Canada to the ATP Cup title in Sydney, before Auger-Aliassime lifted his maiden tour-level title in Rotterdam.

Shapovalov reached the semi-finals in Dubai last year and begins his 2022 tournament against Marton Fucsovics as he looks to set the wheels in motion for another deep run. In their only previous clash, the Hungarian triumphed in four sets at the 2020 Australian Open. Auger-Aliassime is making his Dubai debut and will face Doha finalist Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round.

3) Can Rublev Maintain Strong Form? Andrey Rublev arrives in Dubai off the back of a run to the title in Marseille. The Russian, who also reached the last four in Rotterdam earlier this month, advanced to the Dubai semi-finals in 2021. The second seed plays Briton Daniel Evans in his opening match.

4) Hurkacz & Sinner Aiming For First Title In 2022: Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner both enjoyed standout 2021 seasons, winning seven tour-level titles between them. They are both still searching for their first crowns in 2022 and will hope to triumph in Dubai. Fourth seed Sinner starts against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while Hurkacz takes on Montpellier champion Alexander Bublik.

5) Mektic/Pavic Top Seeds In Doubles: Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic will continue their bid for their first title of the season as the top seeds in Dubai. American-British tandem Rajeev Ram and Joe Sailsbury are the second seeds, with John Peers and Filip Polasek seeded third. Tim Puetz and Michael Venus are the fourth seeds.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN SANTIAGO
1) Garin Strong In Santiago: Chile’s Cristian Garin will compete on home soil at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open aiming to regain his top form. The 25-year-old captured the title in Santiago in 2021, defeating Facundo Bagnis in the final. So far this year, Garin’s best result came at the Australian Open, where he advanced to the third round. The top seed, who owns a 5-1 record at this event, will begin his campaign at the ATP 250 clay-court tournament against Chilean wild card Alejandro Tabilo or a qualifier.

2) Tabilo On The Move: If Tabilo reaches the second round, it will set a blockbuster clash for the home fans. The home favourite has steadily climbed over the past several months and is approaching a Top 100 breakthrough. Currently at a career-high No. 111 in the ATP Rankings, the lefty advanced to his first ATP Tour final in Cordoba. He started his season by representing his country at the ATP Cup and qualifying for the main draw at the Australian Open, where he lost against Alcaraz in the first round.

3) Spanish Standouts: In a strong field, Spaniards Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar are aiming for a deep run. Ramos-Vinolas clinched his fourth tour-level title in Cordoba in February and is a former semi-finalist in Santiago (2020). The second seed will face Juan Manuel Cerundolo or Carlos Taberner in his first match.

Fourth seed Martinez is making his debut at the clay-court tournament and could play Munar in his first match if the World No. 89 defeats Daniel Elahi Galan Riveros. Munar has never been beyond the first round in Chile in his two previous appearances. Martinez has won a match in all five of his tournaments this year.

4) Milan Competitors Chase A Title: Three competitors from the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals will try to triumph in Santiago: Cerundolo, Sebastian Baez and Holger Rune. Cerundolo claimed his first ATP Tour title last year in Cordoba last year, while Baez and Rune are trying to earn glory at this level for the first time.

5) Brazilians Pursue Second Doubles Title: Rafael Matos and Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves claimed their first ATP Tour doubles title together last year in Cordoba. This week, they will chase their second tour-level trophy as the top seeds in Santiago. The second seeds are Pedro Martinez and Andrea Vavassori. Another team to watch is Maximo Gonzalez and Nicolas Jarry. Gonzalez has earned 11 tour-level doubles crowns, including three last year alongside Simone Bolelli.