It is undisputed that Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek are currently setting standards on the tennis tour. Their recent successes underline how outstanding the performances of the two top players are.
On Sunday Carlos Alcaraz defended his title at the Masters in Indian Wells. In the final, the 20-year-old defeated the Russian Daniil Medvedev (7:6, 6:1), whom he had already put in his place in the 2023 final.
By defending his title, Alcaraz achieved a feat that is a novelty in the history of the sport. Number two in the ATP world rankings is the first player to repeat victory in a Masters final on different surfaces before his 21st birthday. In Indian Wells he achieved this on hardcourt, and in 2022 and 2023 Alcaraz won the Masters in Madrid on clay.
The Masters series was launched in 1990. It currently includes nine events, which have the highest value behind the four Grand Slams.
In Indian Wells, only one player managed to defend his tournament victory before his 21st birthday: Boris Becker, who won the tournament in 1987 and 1988.
Iga Swiatek tops Steffi Graf and Co.
While Alcaraz triumphed among the men, Iga Swiatek celebrated the tournament victory among the women in Indian Wells. In the final, the Pole had little difficulty against the Greek Maria Sakkari (6:4, 6:0).
The duel with Sakkari (number 9 in the world rankings) was Swiatek’s 50th match against a top 10 player. The 22-year-old’s record has only been topped by one player in the history of the sport: the legendary Martina Navratilova.
Navratilova won 44 of her first 50 games against players from the top 10, for Swiatek it was the 36th victory. Chris Evert (35), Monica Seles (34) and Steffi Graf (34) are followed by other names who have had a lasting impact on tennis.
2024-03-20 13:08:21
#Crazy #Alcaraz #Swiatek #good
