Alcaraz, Sinner and the road to number one

Carlos Alcaraz only has eyes for Jannik Sinner.

It mattered little to the Murcian tennis player that his victory over Marin Cilic gave him a seat in the Top 3 of the ranking.

Or that the defeat of

hours before would clear the path to the US Open or number one in the world a little more.

Because for all of this to continue in his hands, he must overcome the Italian in the next morning, with whom he already draws a generational rivalry that can mark the next decade of tennis.

After recent setbacks, Alcaraz does not hide: "I want him."

Alcaraz and Sinner are two of the greatest prodigies that the new wave of tennis has brought.

Two players who without having shaken acne already rub shoulders with the nobility of the circuit.

Their history gives a measure of the vertigo with which their careers advance: only three years ago they were measured for the first time in a

organized in Villena, in the academy where the Murcian trains under the orders of

, and now they do it for a spot in the US Open semifinals.

Carlos Alcaraz

and Jannik Sinner have faced each other three times as professionals, and each time on a different surface.

The only precedent on the fast track favors the Murcian, who won the

last year .

But the two who have played this season fell on the Italian's side: Sinner won the round of 16 at

on the ropes

, and five weeks ago he triumphed again in the final of

on clay .

.

That last loss left its mark on Alcaraz, who admitted to feeling outmatched as Sinner saved six break points in a single game of the second set.

"

," confessed the Murcian.

He thus delved into the small crisis that he had suffered a week before with another Italian pearl,

.

"For the first time I didn't know how to handle the pressure," he had said.

This match against Sinner will therefore be a double exam.

The accounts for number one

Whatever happens at the

, the ATP ranking will have a new number one this Monday.

lost the throne with his early goodbye in

, and the replacement of him will be a matter of three.

Right now, the honor would go to Rafa Nadal, who would return to the top of world tennis for the first time since the start of 2020, 138 weeks ago.

But in the New York box there are two contenders for the title: Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud.

The Murcian is the one who has it more 'close'.

With his return to the US Open quarterfinals, Alcaraz is already assured of a place in the top three of the rankings, ahead of

and

.

From now on, the accounts are very simple: if he improves Ruud's performance, he will be number two;

if he reaches the final against a rival other than the Norwegian, he will be number one;

and if he lifts his first

, he will be the youngest number one in history.

's only paths

to the top of the ranking go through the final of this US Open: he will be number one if he wins the tournament or if he loses the final against someone other than the Murcian.

After beating

in more than four hours of play, Carlos Alcaraz said that he did not think about his chances of being number one.

Or rather, he corrected right away, tried not to.

Because all the accounts go through beating

first in a new chapter of a rivalry that will mark the future.

The Murcian already pointed it out after the defeat in Umag.

"

."

The future, his future, is here.

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