Alcaraz, with 10 wins in a row, aspires to match his best streak against Nadal | sports

The young tennis player from Murcia, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, who has ten consecutive victories in the ATP, can equal his best streak in the professional circuit, the one he reached with ATP Challengers championships, if he beats Rafa Nadal this Saturday, in the Indian Wells semifinal.

Alcaraz, who will turn 19 on May 5, has become, with his 6-4, 6-3 win against Britain’s Cameron Norrie, the youngest semifinalist at the ATP Masters 1,000 in Indian Wells since the American André Agassi was planted in that round in the 1988 edition before turning 18. His evolution makes comparisons with Nadal inevitable, especially now that they will face each other at the BNP Paribas Open in California.

Nadal himself naturally assumes a replacement that will take place in due course, although the Balearic is still by far the best Spanish player at the moment and, considering the number of titles at the highest level -21 Grand Slam winners- the best tennis player in the world of history

“Carlos’s career can be unstoppable because he has all the ingredients, including passion and humility enough to work hard,” said Nadal after beating Australian Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals 7-6 (0), 5- 7 and 6-4 already with their minds set on this Saturday’s clash.

In addition, he has highlighted the Murcian who is “a good guy” and reminds him “in many things” of himself “when he was 17 or 18 years old.”

Alcaraz does not hide what he feels for a reference for him either. “It’s incredible to play against Rafa, my idol since I was a child,” he admitted.

The Spanish duel in the semifinals of Indian Wells will put into play two magnificent streaks.

The one from El Palmar, currently the nineteenth player in the world, will come to this event against the number 4 with ten straight wins, a record of 12-1 this year, in which he has won the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil , and has made his debut with Spain in the Davis Cup. Including the five meetings with which he won the Next Gen ATP Finals championship in the Italian city of Milan, where he finished off a great 2021 for himself, Alcaraz reaches 17-1.

For his part, Nadal is completing an immaculate 2022 with 19 wins in as many games and the titles of the Australian Open, the ATP 250 in Melbourne, also on ocean floor; and the ATP 500 in Acapulco, in Mexico, added to his extraordinary track record.

To date, the cap on consecutive wins by Alcaraz is 11 and he reached that mark by playing ATP Challenger tournaments, so his streak now is much more demanding.

Previously, counting the ITF tournaments Alcaraz was able to link 14 wins.

This Saturday will be the second confrontation between Alcaraz and Nadal and the first dates back to May 5, just the day the Murcian turned 18.

It was in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open and the one in Manacor won by a resounding 6-1 and 6-2. From then on, the pupil of Juan Carlos Ferrero achieved the five victories with which he won the ATP Challenger in Oeiras, in Portugal; the three of the preliminary phase of Roland Garros and his first two games in the final table of the Parisian tournament until he fell to the German Jan Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-7 (3) and 2-6.

Rafa Nadal, who debuted on the circuit in 2001, two years before Alcaraz was born, has already achieved 14 consecutive wins between the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003 in ATP and ITF tournaments.

Already in the highest level circuit, he reached 15 consecutive victories between February and March 2005, which led him to win the ATP 250 at Costa do Souipe, in Brazil; the ATP 500 in Acapulco, in Mexico; and stand in the final of the Miami Masters 1,000, in which he lost to the Swiss Roger Federer 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 3-6 and 1-6.

At that time the man from Manacor was 18 years and 9 months old. Today, Alcaraz is 18 years and 10 months old. They are parallels two decades apart.

–