Spain's Carlos Alcaraz captured the fourth title of his young career by beating eighth seed and fellow countryman Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 in the Barcelona Open final on Sunday.
He is being pegged as the next Rafael Nadal of tennis. And every time Carlos Alcaraz walks onto a court, more often than not, he creates waves. On Sunday, the Spanish teenager clinched the fourth title of his young career by defeating 8th seed and fellow countryman Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 in the Barcelona Open final.
With this win, Alcaraz will enter the top 10 of the world rankings on Monday at the same age, on the same date, and after a triumph in the same tournament as 21-time Grand Slam champion, Rafa Nadal, did in 2005.
Exactly 17 years ago, an 18-year-old Nadal was starting to attract the attention of the tennis world by winning the Barcelona Open and making it to the top 10 for the first time. And now, another tennis sensation from Spain, Carlos Alcaraz, is following in the footsteps of his hero.
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Alcaraz now joins countrymen including Nadal, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya in lifting the trophy in the ATP 500 claycourt tournament.
Following Alcaraz's impressive win in Barcelona, Nadal took to Instagram to congratulate the teenager and also lauded Busta for the final. "Congratulations to Carlos @carlitosalcarazz for the title in #Barcelona! 🙌🏻 Also to Pablo @pablo_carreno_ for the final. 👏🏻 A spectacular week for both and for Spanish tennis that once again has a winner," the 35-year-old said.
"It means a lot. I've watched this tournament since I was a kid. I always wished to play in this tournament and, of course, be able to win this tournament. I'm really happy to be part of the [historic] Spanish list," Alcaraz said.
The 18-year-old Spaniard was guaranteed to move into the top 10 after reaching the semifinals. He will be No. 9 when the new rankings come out on Monday.
Like Nadal then, Alcaraz came into the tournament as the 11th-ranked player in the world. A record 21-time Grand Slam winner, the Spanish ace has never dropped out of the top 10 since then.