5 Youngest tennis players to win a title in 2023 ft. Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff
The 2023 tennis season concluded with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff all performing well.
While the redoubtable Djokovic ended the year as the World No. 1, Alcaraz won his first Wimbledon title to win his second Grand Slam title. Gauff also made waves in the tennis world by clinching her first Major, doing so at the US Open.
The year also saw a host of youngsters make a mark and pose themselves as future challengers to the current stalwarts in the sport. In this article, we will take a look at five youngest title winners in tennis in 2023:
#5. Holger Rune – 19 years and 359 days:
The youngster from Denmark won the Bavarian International Tennis Championships in Munich by beating Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands in the final 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(3). Prior to that, Rune missed a great chance of winning his first Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo, losing to Andrey Rublev in the final.
Rune appointed Boris Becker as his coach towards the end of the season and the German’s experience could prove to be valuable for him in the short as well as the long run.
#4. Carlos Alcaraz – 19 years and 291 days:
Alcaraz, the rising superstar of world tennis, won his first title in 2023 by beating Cameron Norrie of Great Britain 6,3, 7-5 in the final of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. He went on to win five more singles titles in 2023, including the Wimbledon.
However, there was a slight dip in his form during the latter part of the season, as the Spaniard lost his No. 1 spot to Novak Djokovic. Still, the 20-year-old has the potential to finish his career as one of the most successful players of all time.
#3. Maria Timofeeva – 19 years and 248 days:
Maria Timofeeva was yet another young woman to win her maiden WTA title in 2023. The Russian beat Kateryna Baindl of Ukraine 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in the final of the Budapest Grand Prix in July 2023.
Timofeeva also reached a career-high ranking of World No. 122 in 2023. She has a long way to go in her career, but that lone success in 2023 should motivate her for the future.
#2. Arthur Fils – 18 years and 350 days:
Fils, the French teenager, won his first-ever ATP singles title at the Lyon Open by beating Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-3, 7-5 in the final. The youngster also reached a career-high ranking of World No. 36 in 2023 and won the Next Gen ATP Finals in December to stamp his class.
Fils thus remains the youngest men's singles title winner in tennis in 2023 and should gear up for more glories to come in the future.
#1. Coco Gauff - 18 years and 300 days:
Gauff had a fairy-tale run at the US Open in 2023, winning her first Grand Slam title by beating Aryna Sabalenka of Russia in the final. She won four titles in 2023 and finished the year as the World No. 3, which also happens to be a career-high ranking for her.
However, prior to her heroics in New York, the American started the year in a resounding manner, beating Rebeka Masarova 6,1, 6-1 in the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland.