MADRID, 26 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish tennis continues to confirm its good health in recent months, both at the male and female level, and one more example is the brilliant emergence of the young man from Murcia, Carlos Alcaraz, and the regularity and perseverance of the Catalan Paula Badosa to place himself among the best in the world. .
Both, who will be two of the attractions of the Mutua Madrid Open, received good news in the publications this Monday of the ATP and WTA rankings, with Alcaraz entering the top ten for the first time in his career, ninth, and Badosa, continuing with its progressive evolution to position itself as number two. Something perhaps unthinkable just a year ago when the two were far from those positions, although they seemed to be good bets for the future.
The pupil of Juan Carlos Ferrero, in fact, was ranked 120th in the world in the classification of April 26, 2021. In the previous week he had lost in the first round of the Conde de Godó against the American Frances Tiafoe and he still had to search in previous phases access to the main draws or play in the Challenger circuit.
And after winning a tournament of this category in Oeiras, Portugal, Alcaraz was able to enter the ‘Top 100’ for the first time (94) at the gates of playing at Roland Garros, where he surpassed the previous one and two rounds, which meant another important leap and placed 78th in the world. The next improvement came with the premiere of his professional record, on the red clay of Umag (Croatia), and with his name bordering on the ‘Top 50’ (55) on July 26.
The Murcian began to offer part of his great potential a month later at the US Open, where he was able to reach the quarterfinals, leaving Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas on the way, to place himself among the top 40 (38). His end of the year with the semifinals in Vienna and victory in the NextGen Finals left him on the verge of the ‘Top 30’ (32).
Now, the 18-year-old has exploded in these first four months of 2022 and this has also been reflected in his rise among the best on the circuit. In his 26 games played, he has won 23, when in all of 2021 he achieved 32 victories, and has added three titles, a Masters 1,000 (Miami) and two ATP 500, Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona, plus the semifinals in the Indian Masters 1,000 Wells.
Thus, after the Australian Open, where he lost in the third round, he placed 29th and was already ‘Top 20’ after his success on Brazilian clay. His great results on the American tour already left him at the door of the ‘Top 10’ (11) and, despite the setback in Monte Carlo, eliminated in the first round, he knocked it down with his victory in Godó and confirmed an improvement of 111 places in a year and be the Spanish number two after a Rafa Nadal who has spent 17 years without leaving the ‘Top 10’. In addition, the Murcian is number three in the ‘Race to Turin’.
BADOSA, PERSISTENCE TO BE AMONG THE BEST AND DREAM OF THE NUMBER 1
For its part, in the women’s circuit, the classification of the world ranking of April 26, 2021 did not have any player among the top ten, with the Spanish-Venezuelan Garbiñe Muguruza in thirteenth place.
Sara Sorribes, from Castellón, was the second best classified then, in 46th place, and you had to look towards the ‘Top 70’ to find Paula Badosa. The Catalan player was number 62 in the world, but it seems that she was finally beginning to confirm the expectations that had been placed on her.
Roland Garros junior champion in 2015, the tennis player born in New York had a hard time bringing her quality to the professional circuit. In fact, she recognized that she suffered from anxiety and depression that prevented her from taking the leap, but she had the strength to get out of it, helped by Xavier Budó.
At the end of 2020 she was 70th in the world and it was in 2021 where she managed to explode to be among the best. In March she played the semifinals in Lyon (France) and a month later she repeated in Charleston (United States), where she beat world number one Ashleigh Barty, to touch the ‘Top 60’.
Some results that helped the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open give her one of their invitations for the main draw and Badosa did not waste it, standing in other semifinals, eliminated by Barty. A jump of 20 places to position herself as 42nd in the world, her 34th after winning her first title in Belgrade at the end of May.
His optimal Roland Garros (fourth) did not have a great reward in the ranking (33) and entered the ‘Top 30’ (29) after reaching the eighth on Wimbledon grass. She stayed there until what is her greatest success so far, the victory in Indian Wells that pushed her to the vicinity of the ‘Top 10’ (13). Her regularity also led her to compete in the “teachers” tournament, where she fell in the semifinals against Garbiñe Muguruza, and closed the year as the eighth in the ranking.
The progression of the Catalan has continued in 2022, which almost opened with a new title, in Sydney (Australia), and the prize of number 6 in the world. The Australian Open was not as positive as could be expected (eighth) and the US tour, despite not being able to repeat success in Indian Wells (semifinals), the quarterfinals in Miami made her position herself as the third in the world and already consolidated as the Spanish number one
Last week’s semifinals in Stuttgart (Germany) made her the new number two, the same position she has in the season standings, only surpassed by the unstoppable Polish Iga Swiatek, whom she has at 2,000 points and with many to go. defend in Madrid.