Carlos Alcaraz moves up to second place in the Live Race; How far is it first? | ATP Tour

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Alcaraz moves up to second place in Live Race; How far is it first?

Three of the top four players in the Live Race are still competing in Beijing

September 30, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz moved up to second place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin on Monday when he reached the semi-finals of the China Open. How far from the beginning is the Spaniard?

Jannik Sinner still leads Alcaraz with 2,990 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. The Italian is in a very good position to become the first Italian to receive this award.

Alcaraz is well positioned to finish in the year-end Top 2 for the third season in a row. Two years ago, at the age of 19, he won the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. Last season he finished number 2.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (from 30 September)

Alcaraz’s hopes of finishing the season at No. 1 aren’t completely gone, though, with more points still up for grabs in the next month and a half. But to put any pressure on Sinner, Alcaraz needs to keep winning, starting with his semi-final in Beijing against Daniil Medvedev.

Sinner, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 10-17 November in Turin. Next in line is Medvedev, who is fourth in the Live Race.

Medvedev is trying to find his place in the postseason for the sixth season in a row. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion knows it won’t be easy to come close with a win over Alcaraz on Tuesday.

“It’s a tough test against Carlos,” Medvedev said. “Maybe he is smaller than Jannik in the area, but when he is in the zone, he is probably the best player in the world. It’s hard to play him. I feel like you are in sin now. So it’s a big test for me.”

Medvedev owns 730 points over fifth-place Taylor Fritz in the Live Race. If he wins China’s ATP 500 title, he can increase his lead over the American to 1,030 points.

Top seed Sinner will face home favorite Buyunchaokete in the other semi-final in Beijing.

Seventh-ranked Andrey Rublev had a great chance to move up to fifth in the Live Race by winning the Beijing title. However, he fell to Buyunchaokete on Monday evening in the quarter-finals.