Carlos Alcaraz to Keep World No. 1 Ranking Following Miami Open Win

Carlos Alcaraz is keeping his No. 1 ranking…

The 19-year-old Spanish professional tennis player logged a straight-set win at the Miami Open on Friday to keep his world No. 1 ranking over idle Novak Djokovic.

Carlos Alcaraz

Djokovic is not participating in the Miami Open because he still cannot travel to the United States as a foreign citizen who is not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Alcaraz, who beat Casper Ruud in the 2022 US Open final for his first No. 1 ranking, defeated Facundo Bagnis 6-0, 6-2 to advance to the third round in Miami.

Rafael Nadal dropped out of the top 10 on Monday for the first time in 18 years.

Alcaraz rose into that spot a day after ending Daniil Medvedev‘s 19-match winning streak by beating him in straight sets in the final at Indian Wells, California.

Ferrer Beats Dustin Brown to Advance to Swedish Open Semifinals

David Ferrer continues to roll…

The 34-year-old Spanish tennis player battled past Dustin Brown 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of the Swedish Open on Friday.

David Ferrer

Ferrer, the top seed and two-time champion at the tournament, improved his head-to-head record versus the German player to 4-0 following the 92-minute win, which was watched in the stands by Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg.

Ferrer will next face his compatriot, third seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

“He’s playing his best tennis of this season so I’m going to have to play very good and very consistent to have a good chance to be in the final,” said Ferrer of his opponent.

Ramos-Vinolas reached his second semifinal of 2016 as he defeated Andrea Arnaboldi. The Spaniard saved six of the 11 break points he faced to outlast the Italian 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 in what was their first tour-level meeting.

Fifth seed Fernando Verdasco eased into the last four in Bastad with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Facundo Bagnis in 68 minutes. The Spaniard will continue to bid for his eighth ATP World Tour singles title when he faces Gastao Elias.

“It’s great for me to be in the semifinals here again. Today I’m one step closer and hopefully tomorrow I will keep playing as good as today or even better,” said Verdasco. “I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve been playing better and better every day. Tomorrow I will face a Portuguese player and they are both playing good this week. I know that it’s going to be difficult.”

Elias reached his first ATP World Tour semifinal by upsetting second seed Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-2.

The 25-year-old Portuguese tennis player capitalized on five of his seven break point chances to notch his first win over his compatriot (Sousa now leads rivalry 2-1) in 62 minutes.

Nadal Wins 200th Career Grand Slam Match at French Open

Rafael Nadal has reached another milestone…

With his second-round victory over Facundo Bagnis at the French Open on Thursday, the 29-year-old became the eighth man in history to win 200 matches at Grand Slam tournaments. He’s the first Latino player to make the list.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal fell behind 2-0 against the 99th-ranked Bagnis of Argentina, then cleaned up his act and took 14 of the next 15 games Thursday en route to winning 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.

A record nine-time champion at Roland Garros, Nadal has won 200 of 230 matches in majors, a winning percentage of .870.

Only seven other men have earned that many victories at Grand Slam tournaments; Roger Federer, who is missing from this year’s French Open because of injury, holds the record of 302.

The fourth-seeded Nadal has 14 Grand Slam titles — tied with Pete Sampras for second most behind Federer’s 17 — including a record nine at Roland Garros.

“I think this year I played better than last year,” said Nadal, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals last year, ending his 39-match winning streak at Roland Garros. “I’ve been able to play some really good matches against the best players in the world. I’m very happy to be competitive again.”

This season, Nadal has been in better form in the buildup to the French Open, winning titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.