Carlos Alcaraz returns to No. 1 ranking with Queen’s Club win as the Spanish ace completed his first ATP title on grass.
Alcaraz will enter Wimbledon next month as the No.1 seed.
What happened
Struggled at times in the first set, but Alcaraz managed to beat Alex De Minaur 6-4, 6-4 for his fifth title of the year and 11th overall.
It was the 20-year-old’s first on grass, in only the third tournament of his young career on the surface.
He had to save two break points in the eighth game of the first set, broke in the next game and then served out for the set.
Alcaraz won the only break point of the second set, when De Minaur double faulted, and sealed the title on his first match point when the Australian sent a return long.
The victory moved the Spanish above the Serbian legend Novak Djokovic in the rankings and confirmed the US Open champion as a serious challenger to Nole’s crown at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz lost in the fourth round to Jannik Sinner last year.
Youngest men’s No. 1 seeds
Carlos Alcaraz will enter Wimbledon as the No. 1 seed and will be the second-youngest man to be seeded No. 1 at Wimbledon (based on age at the beginning of the tournament) since the Open Era began in 1968.
| PLAYER | YEARS-DAYS |
|---|---|
| Boris Becker | 19-212 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 20-59 |
| Lleyton Hewitt | 21-120 |
“The chances don’t change so much. I mean, Novak is coming to Wimbledon,” Alcaraz said. “Right now, I’m feeling better than the beginning of the week, that’s obvious.
“Of course, recovering the No. 1 before Wimbledon, it gives you extra motivation, it gives you extra confidence coming into Wimbledon. But it doesn’t change too much if I play Wimbledon as the No. 2 or the No. 1.”
Alcaraz will enter Wimbledon as the second-youngest man to be seeded No. 1 since the Open era began in 1968, after Boris Becker, who was 19, in 1987, according to ESPN Stats & Information data.
“It means a lot to have my name on the trophy,” Alcaraz said. “It was special to play here where so many legends have won. To see my name surrounded by the great champions is amazing.”
Alcaraz has won titles on hard, clay and grass this season, making him the youngest man to win tour-level titles on hard, clay and grass in the same year since Mats Wilander, who was 19, in 1983, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
