Carlos Alcaraz handed a chance to halt a major rankings milestone for young rival
The next generation of tennis superstars are rapidly rising to the top on the ATP Tour and the leader of their pack has a chance to stop a big rival in his tracks on Saturday.
Carlos Alcaraz and Arthur Fils played out an epic battle at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this month, with the Spaniard prevailing against a young Frenchman who pushed him all the way in what looks certain to have been the first of many meetings between the duo.
Now Alcaraz and Fils are set to lock horns once again in the Barcelona Open semi-finals and if Fils can find a win this time, he could be just one victory away from breaking into the top ten of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.
Fils made it into the final four in Barcelona after an unfortunate withdrawal for Stefanos Tsitsipas, who pulled out of their quarter-final after just two games.
The win has propelled Fils to No 13 in the live ATP Rankings and tantalisingly, he now knows he would break into the elite top 10 list for the first time if he wins the Barcelona title.
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Alcaraz vs Fils is already a blockbuster rivalry and 21-year-old who has four Grand Slam titles on his record is a huge admirer of his 20-year-old opponent.
“I think his level is pretty high,” said Alcaraz after he beat Fils in Monte Carlos. “The strength that he hit the ball, it is amazing. Physically he is one of the most physical players on the tour, one of the best ones, for sure.
“In some moments, he made some mistakes in the first or second shot of the point, so I tried to make the most of that free points. I tried to stay there all the time, which I think I did great. It was one of the most difficult matches that I’ve played this year.”
Holger Rune also has a chance to get back into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings if he wins in Barcelona and he could deny Fils the chance to achieve that goal even if the Frenchman wins the title in Spain.
Rune will leap above Lorenzo Musetti and into 10th place in the live ATP Rankings if he beats Karen Khachanov in his semi-final on Saturday, which would mean Fils will have to wait for his chance to join the top 10 club.
Yet it seems like the moment to declare Fils as more than just a player for the future has already arrived, as he is getting in the mix at the back end of tournaments consistently.
“My goal isn’t just Roland Garros,” said Fils. “I want to play well everywhere, like in Madrid or Rome. If I can play well at Roland Garros, even better. I’m just trying to work really hard on the court and then give my best during the matches.
“I’m playing a lot more games each week now, so I know how to handle more pressure situations. Last year I was playing well, but I was struggling with my mentality, my attitude, and my behaviour on the pitch. It’s going much better now. I think it’s changed a lot compared to last year, for sure.”
Fils’ time to break into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings will surely come and he will have to make that leap at some point during the European clay court season.
READ MORE: What Carlos Alcaraz had to say about Jakub Mensik, Joao Fonseca and Arthur Fils
