MURCIA, February 17, 2018

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia has become the first player born in 2003 to win a professional tennis match. The 14-year-old Spaniard battled through the qualifying of the ITF Pro Circuit event in Murcia and won his first round main draw encounter against former World No. 142 and second seed of the $15,000 Futures event, Federico Gaio from Italy, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 at the beginning of this week.

Alcaraz Garfia, who has yet to play a match on the Junior’s Circuit, continued his great run, beating 18-year-old Russian Nikita Tatyanin 7-5, 7-6 in the second round. The teenager from Murcia was eventually stopped in the quarterfinals by fellow Spaniard Sergio Gutierrez-Ferrol, who already clinched three ITF Pro Circuit titles this year and started his career a year after Carlos Alcaraz Garfia was born.

Alcaraz Garfia earned his first two ATP ranking points earlier than 16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who won his first ranking point on the courts of the Real Club Tenis Betis in Seville in September 2001. Back then, he was 15 years old. In the first round he defeated Israel Matos, who was almost four years older than him, 6-4, 6-4.