TURIN: Carlos Alcaraz secured the year-ending No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis on Thursday by beating Lorenzo Musetti to sweep his group at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz needed to win one more match to beat Jannik Sinner to the No. 1 spot and the Spaniard duly did so as he eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
It is the second time in his career that Alcaraz has ended the year at the top of the rankings.
The Spaniard became the youngest player to finish a year at No. 1 when he achieved the feat as a 19-year-old in 2022.
Alcaraz didn’t give him that chance as he swept aside Musetti in less than 90 minutes, sealing the result on his third match point.
That was his third win in the Jimmy Connors group.
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Carlos Alcaraz seals year-ending No. 1 ranking with another win at the ATP Finals
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Carlos Alcaraz seals year-ending No. 1 ranking with another win at the ATP Finals
- Alcaraz needed to win one more match to beat Jannik Sinner to the No. 1 spot
- That was his third win in the Jimmy Connors group
Jon Rahm putts his way to 2nd round lead at LIV Adelaide
- A two-time LIV individual season champ, Rahm is looking for his first tournament win since 2024
ADELAIDE: Jon Rahm fired a 63 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead into the third round of LIV Golf Adelaide in Australia.
Rahm posted a bogey-free round at Grange Golf Club that included seven birdies — five of them on the back nine — and an eagle on the 561-yard par-5 No. 7 hole to move to 13-under for
the tournament.
The Spaniard stands one shot ahead of Ben Campbell, who also recorded seven birdies and an eagle for his 9-under round of 63.
Bryson DeChambeau is in third place at 11-under after
shooting a 67.
Rahm can credit his success on Friday to his putting. His eagle on No. 7 was courtesy of a 47-foot putt, and he also holed five more putts of between 10 and 25 feet. He made about 150 feet
of putts. A two-time LIV individual season champ, Rahm is looking for his first tournament win
since 2024.
“I can’t remember the last time I made this many, but it was a lot — and the ones that didn’t go in looked like they were going to go in,” Rahm said. “It was a fantastic day on the greens.”
Campbell, of New Zealand, is seeking his first win in Australia as a pro. He had a contingent of family and friends
following him.
“It’s great,” Campbell said of his support system. “It’s as close to I get playing at home. Everyone has been amazing.”
Without the windy conditions of Thursday, the course played easier on Friday. The stroke average of 69.035 bested the opening round by more than
two strokes.
Thirteen different players recorded eagles or better on Friday. David Puig of Spain made the third albatross in league history with his 2 on the par-5 10th hole.
One of those eagles belonged to DeChambeau, who had an up-and-down round that also included five birdies and
two bogeys.
“I was scrambling all day, and that’s something you just can’t do if you’re trying to win a golf tournament,” DeChambeau said.
In fourth place is Anthony Kim (67 on Friday) at 10-under with Talor Gooch (63) and Branden Grace of South Africa (64) in fifth place at 9-under.
On the team front, Campbell’s round helped to propel the RangeGoats into a tie for first at 23-under with Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces, aided by Kim’s performance.
Those teams are one shot ahead of Rahm’s Legion XIII as well as Ripper GC and
Torque GC.
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