Carlos Alcaraz: New world No 20 hailed as 'future world No 1' after Rio Open win and breaking Rafael Nadal records

Carlos Alcaraz had yet another breakthrough moment as he won the ATP 500 Rio Open.

Alcaraz, 18, beat third seed Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-2 in the final to claim the second title of his career.

It was only two years ago that Alcaraz won his first-ever professional match against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Rio de Janeiro, now he is ranked No 20 in the world and has firmly established himself as one of the best young prospects on tour.

Alcaraz is also making plenty of history along the way.

His victory in Rio saw him become the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. He is also the youngest active player to have cracked the top 20 in the world rankings.

Alcaraz is often hailed as a natural successor to fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, even though he has previously compared his on-court approach to Roger Federer. “Trying to be aggressive all the time with the forehand, backhand...I think is similar, yeah,” Alcaraz, who is coached by former world No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, said at last year’s US Open.

If the Nadal comparisons are not 100 per cent accurate, it can’t be denied that Alcaraz is following in Nadal’s footsteps.

It was in Brazil in 2005 that an 18-year-old Nadal won his second career title. The next week Nadal won again in Acapulco – which Alcaraz won’t have the chance to do after he withdrew from the Mexico tournament – and that summer Nadal lifted the French Open for the first time.

Alcaraz is also the youngest player since Nadal in 2005 to break into the top 20. Only Pete Sampras (18 years, six months) and Andrej Medvedev (18 years, five months) have been younger since 1990.

“I’m expecting top 10 from him this year,” said former doubles player Prakash Amritraji on Tennis Channel.

“I think he is very capable on all surfaces, maybe not grass but we don’t have many tournaments on grass. I think we are looking at a future world No 1.”

Women’s world No 25 Jennifer Brady agreed that the future looks very bright for Alcaraz.

“He is going to be top 20 and seeded at Grand Slams and will start to move into the second week of Slams more. Maybe he’s the next teenage Grand Slam champion.”

It was evident at last year’s Next Gen Finals that Alcaraz is already a step above those in his age group. He dropped just one set on his way to the final and then easily overpowered 21-year-old Sebastian Korda, who should have been his toughest opponent based on the rankings.

But Alcaraz showed in Rio that he can also beat far more experienced players – and in challenging circumstances.

Both the quarter-finals and semi-finals were played on Saturday due to heavy rain in Rio and Alcaraz came through against top seed Matteo Berrettini and then Fabio Fognini. His win over world No 6 Berrettini improved his record against top-10 players to 4-5 – having lost his first three – and he followed up with victory over world No 13 Schwartzman in the final.

"He is very impressive at only 18," said Schwartzman. "He is not only the future, he is already the present. He's going to do great things in tennis.”

What stands out with Alcaraz amid the continuing comparisons with Nadal is that he actually has a bit of everything in his game. He has huge power on both sides, he moves well around the court, he can slide effectively on clay, he isn’t afraid to come into the net or play a drop shot, he’s fit and strong, and he already looks composed in the big moments. There's still room for improvement with the serve, and he can be a bit too aggressive at times with his shot-making, but he is not even 19 yet.

“I think it’s my game, a lot of variety,” Alcaraz said after lifting the trophy in Rio. “This is the key to winning the match.”

Alcaraz is set to take some time off this week before playing for Spain in the Davis Cup and then heading to Indian Wells for the first Masters 1000 event of the season. Making a run at a Masters event appears the next step for Alcaraz. It was the next step that Nadal took in 2005 as he reached the Miami Open final a month after winning his second career title in Brazil.

“In a Masters there are the best players in the world, but I’m ready to move to this level,” said Alcaraz.

“I’m feeling good, and believing in myself, so I think I’m ready.”

This time last year Alcaraz was ranked No 141 in the world. Six months ago he was still outside the top 50. Now he's in the top 20 and it still appears the only way is up.