Around this time last year, Carlos Alcaraz was still playing Challenger tournaments and trying to get past the first rounds at the ATP tournaments; one year later, he's a member of the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings.
Last year, Carlos Alcaraz lost in the first round of the Barcelona Open, Miami Open, and Indian Wells. This year, he reached the semifinals in Indian Wells and Barcelona and won at the Miami Open.
And that's only one part of what the 18-year-old Spaniard achieved in the past 12 months on his way to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. He has been one of the most impressive players on the Tour, and even legendary Boris Becker said that Alcaraz may once become world no. 1.
After winning a quarterfinal match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2022 Barcelona Open, Carlos Alcaraz granted himself a spot in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. The Spaniard currently sits in third place in the 2022 ATP Race to Turin, right behind Tsitsipas, whom he defeated in Barcelona.
With not many points to defeat during the rest of the season and great form, Carlos Alcaraz might potentially be a Top 5 challenger as the 18-year-old sensation may soon also lift his first Grand Slam title, according to many experts.
If Alcaraz wins also his semifinal match in Barcelona, he will also jump over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the rankings and become the best player under 23 years, still as a teenager. In his semifinal match at the 2022 Barcelona Open, Carlos Alcaraz will take on Alex de Minaur.
The 23-year-old Australian is not a typical clay-court player, as he's never finished a year with more matches won than lost on clay since 2017. Therefore, Alcaraz is a great favourite to reach his third final of the year and possibly add a third title.