Teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old tennis superstar from Spain, regained the world’s No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic on Monday after trouncing Daniil Medvedev on Sunday night at Indian Wells, and is set to play his opening match on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Alcaraz, the 2022 Miami Open champion, must win the tournament again in 2023 to stay ahead of No. 2 Djokovic, who was barred from entering the country, and thus the Miami Open, due to U.S. COVID vaccination border restrictions. But Alcaraz’s 1-hour, 11-minute, 6-3, 6-2 domination of fifth-ranked Medvedev, the Miami Open’s No. 4 seed, assured that the Miami Open will have both the men’s and women’s defending champions returning as top-ranked players.
Alcaraz, who will learn his opponent Wednesday, is one of three past Miami Open champions in the top quarter of the draw. He could face two-time tournament champion Andy Murray in the third round and would have a potential quarterfinal against 2018 winner John Isner. No. 3 seed Casper Ruud of Norway, who fell to Alcaraz in last year’s final, could meet Alcaraz in a semifinal.
