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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 18, 2020

Sleep is important for growing teenagers—but so is winning tennis matches.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked 406 in the world, made the most of his wild card at the Rio Open in Brazil by becoming the youngest player to upset a Top 50 talent in 17 years on Monday. His 7-6(2) 4-6 7-6(2) victory over compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas finished at 3 AM after three hours and 37 minutes.


It was a stunning debut for the teenager, who is coached by former major champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. Alcaraz becomes the first player born in 2003 to log an ATP-level win with the victory and he will next face Argentinean qualifier Federico Coria in the second round.

"I will remember Rio forever," Alcaraz said, according to ATPWorldTour.com. "I am very happy to win my first ATP Tour match. This has been the longest and most intense match I've played so far.”

After a protracted battle with Ramos-Vinolas, Alcaraz worked his way to a winning position by taking a 5-3 lead in the decider but he couldn’t serve the match out and ended up having to complete his triumph in a third-set tiebreaker. It was a show of mental toughness and fortitude beyond his 16 years.

HIGH DRAMA IN RIO

Alcaraz wasn’t the only teenager making waves on Monday in Rio. 19-year-old Thiago Seyboth Wild saved three match points to win a truly wild encounter with Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The match was a dramatic  encounter that took three hours and 51 minutes to complete, and the frenzied Rio crowd only seemed to grow larger as the drama unfolded (watch the madness below).




Seyboth Wild earns his first career 500-level win and the second of his career. The World No.206 will face either Borna Coric or Juan Ignacio Londero in the second round.

 

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