Carlos Alcaraz records 50th win on ATP tour, quicker to the milestone than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, but slower than Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz strolled into the final of the 2022 Miami Masters on Friday, defeating defending champion Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets to bring up his 17th win of the season. The win also marked a milestone 50th career victory for the Spaniard, in only his third season on the ATP tour.

At the age of 18 years and 10 months, the World No. 16 is only a few months older than Rafael Nadal was when he accomplished the feat. The 21-time Grand Slam champion was 18 years and seven months old when he raced to his 50th ATP tour win in 2005.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, were almost half a year older than Alcaraz when they managed to reach the milestone. Federer was 19 years and two months old when he recorded his 50th career win in 2000, while Djokovic was 19 years and four months old when he won the 50th match of his career in 2006.

The Swiss has gone on to win 1,251 matches overall, placing him second on the all-time list behind Jimmy Connors (1,274). The Spaniard has 1,048 wins under his belt and the Serb is just nine short of hitting the coveted 1,000-win mark.

Carlos Alcaraz could become the youngest Miami Masters winner on Sunday

Carlos Alcaraz could be the youngest Miami Champion with a win against Casper Ruud

Carlos Alcaraz takes on Casper Ruud in the 2022 Miami Masters final on Sunday. The Spaniard is the second-youngest finalist in the history of the tournament, behind only Rafael Nadal, and a win against Ruud will make him the youngest champion in Miami.

The record is currently held by Novak Djokovic, who won the 2007 edition at the age of 19 years and nine months. A win on Sunday would also make Carlos Alcaraz the third-youngest player to win a Masters 1000 event, behind Michael Chang and Nadal.

Ruud, meanwhile, is bidding to win his first Masters 1000 title and the eighth ATP title of his career. The Norwegian is on an impressive run of his own, having defeated three seeded players (Alexander Bublik, Cameron Norrie and Alexander Zverev) en route to the final.

The pair have only met once before, in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Andalucia Open. Back then, the teenager scored a remarkable 6-2, 6-4 victory over the World No. 8. Ruud will move up to fourth in the ATP Race to Turin if he prevails in the final, while Alcaraz will rise as high as second if he bests the 23-year-old.