18-year old Carlos Alcaraz continues to make waves on the men’s tour. He became the fourth youngest finalist at the Masters 1000 level by reaching the title round of the 2022 Miami Open. Naomi Osaka, who has also reached the finals, has opened up about becoming the top-ranked player in the world once again.
Danielle Collins became the latest high-profile player to withdraw from the upcoming Charleston Open. Cameron Norrie is all set to make his top 10 debut next week. The draw for the 2022 US Men’s Clay Court Championships, which is being held for the first time since 2019, is out. Here’s a round-up of the day’s biggest headlines:
Carlos Alcaraz continues his brilliant season by reaching the Miami Open final
Teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz continues to impress with his incredible performances. He knocked out defending champion Hubert Hurkacz in two tight sets to reach the final of the 2022 Miami Open. In doing so, he became the fifth youngest player to do so.
Chang, Toronto ’90 (18 yrs, 157 days)
Youngest Masters 1000 finalists, all-time: 🇺🇸 Chang, Toronto ’90 (18 yrs, 157 days)🇪🇸 Nadal, Miami 2005 (18 yrs, 304 days)🇪🇸 Nadal, Monte Carlo 2005 (18 yrs, 318 days)🇫🇷 Gasquet, Hamburg 2005 (18 yrs, 331 days)🇪🇸 ALCARAZ, Miami 2022 (18 yrs, 333 days) https://t.co/qMqR6GQ32r
This is the Spaniard’s biggest final of his career, where he’ll take on World No. 8 Casper Ruud for the Miami Open title. If Alcaraz wins the title, he’ll reach a career-high ranking of number 11 and become the third youngest player to win a Masters 1000 title, after Michael Chang and Rafael Nadal.
“I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to be No. 1 again but I know it’s a process” – Naomi Osaka
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka first ascended to the top of the rankings in 2019 and has held it for a total of 25 weeks. She continued to be a top 10 mainstay until the end of 2021, when she fell out of the top-10 due to skipping most of the season for mental health reasons.
After failing to defend her Australian Open title this year, Osaka’s ranking took a huge hit. Currently ranked 77th, she’ll be back in the top 40 after reaching the Miami Open final.
Osaka has now opened up about her desire to regain the top ranking once again, but acknowledges that it’s going to take a lot of hard work on her part.
“I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to be No. 1 again but I know its a process. I know that you have to do well in all of the tournaments you play.”
Iga Swiatek vs. Naomi Osaka for the #MiamiOpen title. This will be the first match since the two met for the 1st time at 2019 Toronto. In the electric encounter, Osaka won 76 64. https://t.co/9EUc06dvcz
Osaka is set to face off against Iga Swiatek for the Miami Open title on Saturday.
Danielle Collins out of the 2022 Charleston Open
Danielle Collins became the latest player to pull out of the upcoming Charleston Open. Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza, Jelena Ostapenko and Elina Svitolina, among others, have also withdrawn from the event.
Collins, who reached the final of the Australian Open at the start of the year, has been unable to capitalize on it. She retired midway through her first-round match in Dubai due to an injury, which also forced her to withdraw from the Qatar Open and the Indian Wells Open as well.
Upon her return to action at the Miami Open, Collins made it to the quarterfinals. She lost to Naomi Osaka in straight sets, but has picked up yet another injury, with a tweaked neck bothering her this time. It appears she isn’t fully fit to compete in Charleston and will miss yet another tournament this year.
Cameron Norrie to make his top 10 debut next week
Cameron Norrie has been playing really well over the last year. He won two titles last year, including the Indian Wells Masters. He won his third career title at the Delray Beach Open this year and reached the final of the Mexican Open as well.
Norrie’s title defense at the Indian Wells Masters ended in the quarterfinals and he made it to the fourth round of the Miami Open next. His string of good results has seen him steadily rise up in the rankings.
Norrie is now set to make his top 10 debut when the ATP rankings are released next week.
Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka headline the ATP 250 in Houston
The draw for the US Men’s Clay Court Championships, an ATP 250 event to be held in Houston, is out. The main draw action is set to begin on April 4 and there are some exciting matches straight off the bat. Nick Kyrgios, who was awarded a wildcard, is up against Mackenzie McDonald.
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Youngster on the rise Jenson Brooksby will take on compatriot JJ Wolf. Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and John Isner are the top four seeds and have received a bye into the second round.
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