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Alcaraz climbs to second in Live Race; How far away is first?
Carlos Alcaraz climbed to second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin on Monday when he reached the China Open semi-finals. How far from first is the Spaniard?
Jannik Sinner still leads Alcaraz by 2,990 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as an indicator for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. The Italian is in very good position to become the first Italian to claim the honour.
Alcaraz is well placed to finish in the year-end Top 2 for the third consecutive season. Two years ago, aged 19, he earned ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. Last season, he finished No. 2.
PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 30 September)
| Player | Points |
| 1) Jannik Sinner | 9,200 |
| 2) Carlos Alcaraz | 6,210 |
| 3) Alexander Zverev | 6,115 |
| 4) Daniil Medvedev | 4,620 |
| 5) Taylor Fritz | 3,890 |
| 6) Casper Ruud | 3,795 |
| 7) Andrey Rublev | 3,580 |
| 8) Alex de Minaur | 3,305 |
Alcaraz's hopes of ending the season at No. 1 are not completely dashed, either, with plenty of points still up for grabs in the next month and a half. But to put any pressure on Sinner, Alcaraz must continue winning, starting with his Beijing semi-final against Daniil Medvedev.
Sinner, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 10-17 November in Turin. The next in line to qualify is Medvedev, who is fourth in the Live Race.
[ATP APP]
Medvedev is trying to earn his place at the season finale for the sixth consecutive season. The 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion knows it will not be easy to move closer by defeating Alcaraz on Tuesday.
“Tough test against Carlos,” Medvedev said. “Maybe he's a bit less than Jannik in the zone, but when he's in the zone, he's probably the best player in the world. Tough to play him. I feel like now he's in the zone. So it's a great test for me.”
Medvedev owns a 730-point advantage over fifth-placed Taylor Fritz in the Live Race. If he wins the Chinese ATP 500 title, he would increase his lead over the American to 1,030 points.
First-placed Sinner will face home favourite Buyunchaokete in the other Beijing semi-final.
Seventh-placed Andrey Rublev had a big opportunity to surge to fifth in the Live Race by winning the Beijing title. However, he fell to Buyunchaokete on Monday evening in the quarter-finals.
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