Carlos Alcaraz turned in another dominating performance on Wednesday to edge closer to the top ranking spot after a 6-4, 7-5 quarter-final defeat of Karen Khachanov at the Madrid Masters.
Spain’s defending champion who stands second in the world, can re-take the summit if he wins the home title and merely steps onto court for his opening match next week in Rome, according to ATP calculations.
The 19-year-old is also looking to win his fourth consecutive title in Spain with two more matches to go at the Caja Magica.
Alcaraz rallied from 2-5 in the second set on his way to the win in just under two hours.
The youngster leads the Tour with 17 wins and two trophies this season and has not lost on Spanish clay in two years.
Khachanov fell to 0-8 versus Top 5 opponents on clay after reaching his first quarter-final at the Masters 1000 level.
Alcaraz is going from strength to strength on his home clay in emulation of idol Rafael Nadal.
I (don’t) think I’m going to get tired of tennis,” he said. “I just live from day to day and I love playing tennis.
“I’m a winning guy, so I’m not afraid that one day I’ll get tired of winning. I know that’s not going to happen.”
He added: “My dream right now is to become one of the best players in history.
“I know that this is a big dream – probably is too big.
“But in this world, you have to dream big and you have to think big. I want to be part of the best tennis players.”
Main photo:- Carlos Alcaraz winning quarter final today by Mutua Madrid Open
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