Carlos Alcaraz has made headlines by securing the second seed at the upcoming Roland Garros tournament after a solid win against Jack Draper, finishing the match with a score of 6-4, 6-4 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. This victory not only propels the young Spaniard into the semi-finals but also ensures a strong position in the upcoming Grand Slam.
Alcaraz’s Rise in ATP Rankings
With this win, Alcaraz’s points in the live ATP rankings have risen to 8,240. His closest competitor, Alexander Zverev, is now limited to a maximum of 8,085 points, confirming him as the third seed. This ranking means that Alcaraz and the top seed, Jannik Sinner, will be placed in opposite halves of the tournament draw, preventing any early match-ups between them until the finals in Paris.
Zverev will occupy one of the middle sections of the draw, while the fourth seed is still to be decided. “I think it’s fantastic to be the second seed at Roland Garros, especially since it means I won’t face Jannik until potentially the final, if I make it that far. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it before,” Alcaraz expressed after his victory.
In the current ATP rankings, Taylor Fritz is on track to secure the fourth seed. However, Casper Ruud has the opportunity to claim this position by winning his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title. The eighth seed is also up for grabs. Lorenzo Musetti is currently in a position to clinch it, and if he beats Zverev in the quarter-finals in Rome, he will secure at least the eighth seed for Paris, possibly moving up to sixth.
If Musetti loses to Zverev, Tommy Paul could step in for the eighth seed by winning the title in Rome; this is a coveted position as it means avoiding another top-eight player until the quarter-finals. Next week, two ATP Tour events will take place – one in Hamburg and one in Geneva – but the seeds for Roland Garros will be finalized based on the ATP rankings by Monday.
As the excitement builds for Roland Garros, fans are eager to see how Alcaraz will perform against the top players in the world, and whether he can secure his first Grand Slam title in Paris.