Carlos Alcaraz clinched a dominant 6-1, 6-2 win over Tallon Griekspoor in the Beijing Open 2024 and added another feather in his cap by etching his name in the history books. The Spaniard’s round of 16 win in China marks his 200th ATP-level victory, reaching this feat faster than all members of the Big Three — Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz required less than an hour to destroy his Dutch opponent in straight sets. When informed of his incredible accomplishment during the post-match interview, the El Palmar native played it down, claiming he was already focusing on his 300th victory.
“It’s pretty good but I’m already looking forward to the 300th,” Alcaraz said.
Carlos Alcaraz is the second quickest player ever to get 200 tour level wins.
“It’s pretty good but I’m already looking forward to the 300th” pic.twitter.com/VTUhtiaOQw
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 29, 2024
Alcaraz has become the second-fastest player in ATP history, in terms of matches taken, to reach the 200-win mark. A stellar 200-52 record only trails John McEnroe’s 200-45 record, as the latter reached the milestone seven matches quicker.
Nevertheless, Alcaraz’s record at such a young age is better than three of the best players to ever do it. Nadal took 255 matches to reach the milestone, whereas, the likes of Federer and Djokovic aren’t even in the top 6 list for the same feat. The Serbian and Swiss superstars required 274 and 302 matches, respectively, to get there.
Matches taken to reach 200 match wins on the ATP tour:
– Carlos Alcaraz: 252 (79.4%)
– Rafael Nadal: 255 (78.4%)
– Novak Djokovic: 274 (72.9%)
– Roger Federer: 302 (66.2%)Big 4. pic.twitter.com/MHfDAR911v
— Zain (@ItzzZain10) September 29, 2024
This feat is a testament to Alcaraz’s greatness. However, given his mentality, the youngster will not pay too much attention to it until the end of the ongoing tournament.
Alcaraz hasn’t dropped a single set in his first two encounters at the ATP 500 event. With Jannik Sinner losing two sets in the opening two matches, Alcaraz is undeniably the strongest contender to win the Beijing Open 2024.
The Spaniard will next face Karen Khachanov for a spot in the semifinals of the competition. For fans hoping to catch this contest, they can watch the same on Tennis Channel on Monday, not before 11 PM ET.
