Rising tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has no plans of slowing down after his victory at Barcelona at the weekend and making the top 10 for the first time yesterday but said he was surprised by his quick rise through the rankings.
The 18-year-old captured the fourth title of his young career by beating eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-2 in the Barcelona Open final on Sunday, hours after winning a gruelling semi-final that was postponed due to rain.
“I did not think I would reach this stage at 18-years-old,” he told a news conference at a junior event. “It is for the first time for me in the top ten. It means a lot. For me it’s a dream come true and I have been fighting for this since I was a child. I work every day, work hard to be here to have chance to get titles to beat the top players in the world but not at this age.”
He featured at ninth when the world rankings were released yesterday, entering the top 10 at the same age, on the same date and after a triumph in the same tournament as compatriot and 21-times major winner Rafa Nadal did in 2005. “It is just a coincidence that it’s the same with Rafa. I just focus on my game,” he added.
His singles tally stands at four titles following triumphs at Miami and Rio de Janeiro this year and a victory at Umag last July, when he became the youngest tour-level champion since Kei Nishikori claimed the title at Delray Beach in 2008.
The Spaniard is now seen as one of the favourites for the French Open starting next month behind record winner Nadal. “I am playing well, with a lot of confidence for myself. I am going to have chances to get results in Roland Garros, to be in the last rounds,” he said at the IMG Future Stars Under-12 tournament.
“I reached my goal to be (in the) top 10. I want to keep growing as a player, improving every day, trying to keep claiming titles, trying to climb up the rankings.” 
Britain’s Cameron Norrie drops out of the top 10 to number 11. Carreno Busta swaps places with another Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, the former climbing to 18 and the latter moving down one spot to 19th.
Novak Djokovic still sits atop the standings despite losing to Russian Andrey Rublev in the final of the Belgrade Open. World number two Daniil Medvedev is out with a hernia problem.

Swiatek extends lead as 
no. 1, Badosa up to second
Iga Swiatek extended her lead as world number one yesterday, after winning a fourth straight title at the weekend in Stuttgart, while Paula Badosa climbed to second place in the WTA rankings. Poland’s Swiatek, who took over at the top from Ashleigh Barty after the Australian retired last month, thrashed Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Stuttgart on Sunday.
Spain’s Badosa moved to a career-high mark by reaching the semi-finals in Germany before losing to Sabalenka. Britain’s Emma Raducanu edged closer to breaking into the top 10 after her run to the quarter-finals of the same event. 

Top 20 Rankings
ATP: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,400 pts 2. Daniil Medvedev 8,080 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 7,465 4. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 6,435 5. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 5,770 6. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 4,570 7. Casper Ruud (NOR) 4,110 8. Andrey Rublev 4,025 9. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 3,827 (+2) 10. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 3,625 (-1) 11. Cameron Norrie (GBR) 3,440 (-1) 12. Jannik Sinner (ITA) 3,029 13. Taylor Fritz (USA) 3,010 14. Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 3,008 15. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,805 16. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,671 17. Reilly Opelka (USA) 2,475 18. Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 2,135 (+1) 19. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 2,015 (-1) 20. Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 1,788 

WTA: 1. Iga Swiatek (POL) 7,181 pts 2. Paula Badosa (ESP) 5,045 (+1) 3. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) 5,043 (-1) 4. Aryna Sabalenka 4,711 5. Maria Sakkari (GRE) 4,651 6. Anett Kontaveit (EST) 4,511 7. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 4,207 8. Danielle Collins (USA) 3,151 9. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 3,070 10. Ons Jabeur (TUN) 3,015 11. Emma Raducanu (GBR) 2,797 (+1) 12. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 2,780 (-1) 13. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 2,561 14. Jessica Pegula (USA) 2,510 15. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2,472 16. Coco Gauff (USA) 2,300 17. Victoria Azarenka 2,281 (+1) 18. Elena Rybakina (KAZ) 2,261 (+1) 19.Angelique Kerber (GER) 2,243 (-2)  20. Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 2,151 (+1)