Carlos Alcaraz breaks several records previously held by Rafael Nadal with his Rio 2022 title

18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz emulated several feats achieved by his idol Rafael Nadal with his triumph in Rio on Sunday.

Alcaraz defeated World No. 14 Diego Schwartzman in straight sets in the 2022 Rio Open final to win his second ATP title. With his triumph, the 18-year-old not only became the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was introduced in 2009, but also facilitated his top-20 debut in the ATP rankings.

Alcaraz will reach a new career-high ranking of No. 20 when the latest ATP rankings are published on Monday, making him the youngest active male player to crack the men's top 20. It should be noted, however, that it was Nadal who had held the record for being the youngest top-20 entrant for the last 17 years, thanks to his breakout season in 2005.

The two Spaniards also happen to be the only active players to crack the ATP's top 20 before turning 19.

The teen phenom also became the youngest active male player to have won multiple ATP titles on Sunday, another record that was previously held by Nadal. Alcaraz currently holds two ATP titles - the 2021 Umag Open and the 2022 Rio Open - at the age of 18 years and 9 months.

Nadal first made waves in the tennis universe in 2005, when he reached the men's top 20 on the back of a runner-up finish at the Miami Masters. By virtue of that result, he rose to as high as No. 17 in the world - which he followed up with his epic run during the European claycourt swing later that year.

The Spanish bull then went on to win his first big titles in Monte Carlo and Rome just a few months before turning 19, which made him the youngest player since Michael Chang to win multiple ATP titles (the Spaniard had already won his maiden ATP title in Sopot the year before) at 18 years and 10 months.

Rafael Nadal claimed earlier this year in Melbourne that Carlos Alcaraz has huge potential

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 Rio Open

Carlos Alcaraz has shown maturity beyond his years of late, which recently prompted Nadal to shower praise on him. A month ago at the Australian Open, the 35-year-old asserted that Alcaraz had "huge potential" while claiming that he was as good a pick as any to win the first Major of the season.

“Does he have a chance of winning here? Yes, what can I say? Why not?" the Spaniard had said to the ATP then. "He’s a young player that is clearly on the up and we’ll see what happens. At the moment, everything is unpredictable and he’s a player with huge potential."

But, as fate would have it, the Spanish bull was the one who ultimately won the 2022 Australian Open title in emphatic fashion, coming from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the championship match.