Alcaraz wins at Rio Open, eyes race with Djokovic for No.1

By MAURICIO SAVARESE
AP Sports Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to the second round of the Rio Open with his mind already set for a year-long contest with Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking. The 19-year-old defending champion closed out the last two games of a match suspended the day before because of rain to complete a 6-4, 6-4 win over Mateus Alves. Alcaraz will next play Fabio Fognini, who beat Tomas Barrios Vera 6-2, 6-3 at the clay court tournament. Alcaraz, who in 2021 became the first teenage year-end No. 1 in ATP history and last year won his breakout major at the U.S. Open, is currently No. 2 in the rankings. He says he doesn’t feel pressure to topple Djokovic from the top but has set that as a key goal for 2023.