Carlos Alcaraz declared he is "a boy who dreams big" after the 18-year-old landed the Rio Open title and outlined his plans to dominate men's tennis.
A teenager going places, Spaniard Alcaraz was set to shoot up to a career-high ranking inside the ATP top 20 on Monday on the strength of his successful week in Brazil.
He was too strong for Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in what turned out to be a one-sided final, with Alcaraz a 6-4 6-2 winner over an experienced and classy opponent.
It made him the youngest winner of an ATP 500 tournament, since the 2009 creation of that category. Such events rank below the importance of the Masters 1000 tournaments but remain prestigious, and it is one step at a time for now for Alcaraz towards lofty targets.
Alcaraz said: "My ambitions are to be number one in the world, a winner of grand slams, a winner of Olympic medals... I am a boy who dreams big."
This clay-court success whets the appetite for what Alcaraz might achieve on the surface over the coming months. He won the Umag tournament in Croatia on clay last July but will likely be targeting the likes of Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Monte Carlo and even Roland Garros for similar success this year.
It was in Rio two years ago that Alcaraz first won an ATP main-draw match.
"Two years later, winning the tournament means a lot to me," Alcaraz told a news conference. "When I came here for the first time, I came to continue enjoying myself, to learn from the best. This time I had high expectations and I came thinking that I could win, that I am a candidate.
"I am super happy to have won my first ATP 500. It has been a week full of emotions and to be able to win this final has been a great joy for me."
Alcaraz was gutted to miss last year's Davis Cup finals after testing positive for COVID-19, but the powerful teenager is on a mission to maximise his talent in 2022.
He went toe to toe with Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the Australian Open, coming from two sets down to force a decider against last year's Wimbledon runner-up, only to lose out on a tie-break.
This time, Berrettini was among his victims on the road to the title in Rio.
Alcaraz said after Sunday's win, according to Spanish newspaper AS: "The expectations that people have of me are high, and I appreciate that they see that I can be the best in the world, but both my team and I know how difficult it is.
"I think I'm on the right path and if I don't deviate from it and keep doing things well, it won't be guaranteed, but I will have opportunities."
ATP Finals: Alcaraz out as Ruud progresses with Rublev win
Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out of the ATP Finals as Casper Ruud sank Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals of the Turin event on Friday.
Following his defeat to Jannik Sinner earlier on Friday, Alcaraz could only advance by virtue of percentage of games won if Ruud was beaten in straight sets.
However, Ruud dashed those hopes by taking an opening set in which he won 80% of his first-serve points (16/20) and did not give up a single break point.
While Rublev fought back to level things up in the second set, Ruud came on strong in the third set, ultimately triumphing 6-4 5-7 6-2 in one hour and 45 minutes.
Speaking after the match, Ruud said: "Tennis is interesting sometimes. I don't know what I am doing better this week than the past few weeks... the only thing is serving, I am serving really well.
"It is tough to play the best players in the world but nice because you feel you are an underdog and can play free. You know if you don't bring your A level you will likely lose.
"I knew coming into this match that a set was enough to qualify, so I was a bit nervous at the start. So when I got that first set I could breathe a little."
Data Debrief: Career-best for Ruud
Ruud's victory was his sixth over a top-10 opponent in ATP Tour-level events in 2024, surpassing his previous best in a single calendar year (five in 2022).
With Sinner his next opponent in the semi-finals on Saturday, Ruud will hope to continue his impressive form against the best the sport has to offer.
Swiatek and Raducanu help Poland, Great Britain advance at Billie Jean King Cup Finals
Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu were both victorious as Poland and Great Britain won their first-round ties at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on Friday.
Poland won both of their singles matches against Spain in Malaga, while Britain did likewise versus Germany to seal their own spot in the competition's last eight.
World number two Swiatek clinched Poland's progress with a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory over Paula Badosa, after Magda Linette had put them ahead by beating Sara Sorribes Tormo in a gruelling three-hour, 51-minute affair.
Speaking after her own win, Swiatek hailed the endurance of team-mate Linette, who triumphed 7-6 (8-6) 2-6 6-4.
"I wouldn't say that I pushed us to the quarter-finals, because Magda pushed us to the quarter-finals, so we did it together," the five-time grand slam champion said.
"I'm glad that we won a match as Team Poland. I felt like it was my best match since the US Open. I knew that I could come back in the third set and try to win it for Poland."
Later on Friday, Great Britain were propelled to victory by Raducanu and Katie Boulter, both of whom were straight-sets victors.
Raducanu, playing her first match in almost two months after recovering from a foot injury, beat Jule Niemeier 6-4 6-4.
The 2021 US Open champion started well and her effective serve was a key feature of the opening set, though she later required six match points to get over the line as Niemeier refused to go down without a fight.
Britain will face defending champions Canada in the last eight after Boulter raced to an impressive 6-1 6-2 victory over Laura Siegemund, ensuring there was no need for Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson to team up for a deciding doubles match.
ATP Finals: Perfect Zverev downs Alcaraz to reach semi-finals
Alexander Zverev has booked his place in the ATP Finals semi-finals with a straight-sets win over Carlos Alcaraz, who is now facing elimination.
The German secured the year-end number two spot in the ATP rankings after triumphing 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in just under two hours to set up a meeting with Taylor Fritz in the final four.
Zverev has now won each of his last eight matches and topped the John Newcombe Group but had to work hard for it, with Alcaraz successfully defending a set point to force a tie-break.
The Spaniard struggled to match the pace in the second set though, losing his serve in the opening game, giving Zverev the control he needed to register his sixth career win against Alcaraz.
Zverev avenged his French Open final loss to Alcaraz earlier this year, racking up his 69th win of 2024 in the process, but played down talk he is playing the best tennis of his life.
"You guys need to relax a little bit," he said. "It has been three fantastic matches. I'm happy to be 3-0 in the group for sure, but the semi-finals now are going to be very difficult - no matter who I am against.
"Taylor beat me the last few times we've played at the slams, but I'm looking forward to that match.
"Carlos has beaten me too many times this year in important matches, so I'm happy I got this one. We have a pretty good rivalry, but a great friendship as well. It's always great to share the court with him."
Alcaraz's chances of qualifying for the final four are slim, but he could progress based on the percentage of games won if Andrey Rublev beats Casper Ruud in straight sets later on Friday.
Data Debrief: Out in front
Zverev is looking to cap 2024 on a high by continuing his impressive run, and he is the first player to register 69+ wins in a single season since Andy Murray (78) in 2016.
Since he made his first semi-final at the ATP Finals in 2018, only Novak Djokovic (five) has reached the semis of this event more often than the German (four).
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