MADRID: Teenager Carlos Alcaraz continued his blazing rise by demolishing Alexander Zverev in the Madrid final on Sunday and then said “I really want to prove my level in a Grand Slam”.

Two weeks before the start of the French Open, the young Spaniard brushed aside his third-ranked foe 6-3, 6-1 in 62 minutes to continue a run that signals tennis has a new power.

“I really want to go to Paris to win a Grand Slam, to show my level in a Grand Slam,” said Alcaraz at a press conference after winning the second Masters 1000 of his career.

“People are going to take me as a favourite, but I take that as motivation,” added Alcaraz.

He said he will miss the Rome claycourt tournament this week after injuring an ankle in beating Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Before the Madrid tournament last year, Alcaraz was ranked 120th in the world. On Monday, he reached number six.

“I have five more to go to be the best in the world,” he said.

He became the youngest US Open quarter-finalist of the Open era last September, then won his first Masters 1000 title in Miami in early April.

Victory on Sunday brought a second Masters 1000 title. The only younger player to reach that milestone was Nadal, who won in Monte Carlo and Rome when he was 18.

Alcaraz turned 19 on Thursday and over the next two days battled past Nadal in two hours and 28 minutes and Novak Djokovic in 3hr 36min.

“I am 19 years old, which I think is the key to be able to play long and tough matches in a row. I am feeling great physically,” he said

Alcaraz made the first move as he broke Zverev to love for a 4-2 lead before comfortably closing out the set on his own serve.

The home favourite broke to love again for a 2-1 lead in the second set as Zverev began to grow frustrated, failing to find ways to stop Alcaraz.

Cheered on by the home fans, the sublime Alcaraz found the double break at 4-1 and won the next two games to wrap up the match in just about an hour.

The Spaniard got the crowd at the Manolo Santana Stadium on their feet with his variety of shots and relentless hitting as he earned a seventh straight top-10 win and tour-leading fourth title of the year.

Zverev complained that he was “dead “because he had played the latest matches the previous two nights, yet he was impressed with Alcaraz. “Carlitos, right now you are the best player in the world. Even though you are still five years old you are still beating us all,” he told Alcaraz on court after the match.

Alcaraz said he had some way to go.

“I still have to improve in everything,” he said.

“I have very good shots, but they can be improved and can be much better.”

Published in Dawn,May 10th, 2022