Carlos Alcaraz reclaims top spot (ATP Rankings), breaks these records
Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden BNP Paribas Open title after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final on Sunday. He claimed a 6-3, 6-2 victory to record his third ATP Masters 1000 title. Alcaraz is the first man to secure the Indian Wells title without losing a set since Roger Federer in 2017. With this, Alcaraz has reclaimed the top spot in the ATP Rankings.
Why does this story matter?
The victory is indeed special as Alcaraz ended the 19-match winning streak of Medvedev. Notably, the latter was vying to win his fourth consecutive ATP tournament, having claimed trophies in Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai, earlier this year. Moreover, Alcaraz has now won three Masters 1000 titles as a teenager. He is now the world number one (ATP Rankings), having displaced Serbian ace Novak Djokovic.
Medvedev earns 640 points
Alcaraz now holds the top spot (ATP Rankings) with 7,420 points. He earned a total of 640 points after his win at Indian Wells, which catapulted him to the top. Djokovic follows Alcaraz with 7,160 points. Meanwhile, Medvedev has climbed to the fifth spot (4,330).
Here's how Alcaraz can continue his reign
Although Alcaraz has risen to the top, he must continue his winning run to bolster his reign. According to ATP, Alcaraz will have to defend his Miami title to stay ahead of second-placed Djokovic. At the start of the tournament, Djokovic will have a 740-point lead over Alcaraz (ATP Rankings). The latter will drop the 1,000 points he earned in Miami last year.
Youngest to win both legs of Sunshine Double
As per ATP, Alcaraz has become the youngest man to win both legs of the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami). He is overall the ninth man to do so. In April 2022, Alcaraz won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami. He defeated sixth seed Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4, in the final. This was Alcaraz's third ATP title.
Alcaraz matches feats of Federer, Nadal
As stated, Alcaraz has become the first man to claim the Indian Wells title without losing a set since Federer in 2017. The former is also the first to do so in at least six matches since Rafael Nadal in 2007. Alcaraz now has a 3-0 win-loss record at ATP Masters 1000. Overall, he is 14-9 against the Top 10 opponents.
Alcaraz enters an elite club
As stated, Alcaraz is one of three players to have a 100% record in multiple ATP Masters 1000 finals. As per Opta, Jim Courier (5) and Nikolay Davydenko (3) have attained this feat in the past.
A historic final!
The one between Alcaraz and Medvedev was the first men's Indian Wells final between two top-five seeds since 2015 (Djokovic v Federer). As per Opta, this happened only once in 2022 at ATP Masters 1000 - Djokovic v Stefanos Tsitsipas (Rome).
The rise of Carlos Alcaraz
An incredible run in 2022 helped Alcaraz make a meteoric rise. The 19-year-old became the youngest Grand Slam champion since Nadal, who won the French Open in 2005. Alcaraz became the second-youngest man to win the US Open title in the Open Era, at 19 years and 129 days. He concluded the season with a 57-13 record and a career-best five ATP titles.
