Generational Rivalry: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner evenly split four majors in back-to-back seasons

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune have led a teenage revolution on the ATP tour over the last few years, becoming the 20th and 21st teenagers to reach the Top 10 in ATP rankings history, both winning Masters 1000s, and Alcaraz winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open.

After his triumph at Flushing Meadows last summer, Alcaraz even became the first teenager to reach No. 1 in ATP rankings history.

But now they've both turned 20—Rune on Sunday, Alcaraz today. So who’s going to lead the teenage revolution on the men’s tour now?

Look no further than a pair of 18-year-olds from France who have both been making breakthroughs on the ATP tour this year.

Less than two years ago, Fils (L) and Van Assche (R) met for the Roland Garros junior title.

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Luca Van Assche [FRA #86]

Since winning the Roland Garros junior title in 2021, Van Assche—who turns 19 next week—has made a smooth transition to the pros. He won his first Challenger title in 2022, in Maia, Portugal, and so far in 2023 he’s won another two Challenger titles in Pau, France and Sanremo, Italy.

That event in Sanremo, incidentally, was the last Challenger that Rune played—and won—before transitioning to full-time on the main tour last year. It was also the last Challenger that Novak Djokovic played—and won—before starting to play full-time on the main tour back in 2005.

All Sanremo champion comparisons aside, Van Assche’s triumph at that event a month ago propelled him from No. 108 to No. 91 on the ATP rankings, which wasn’t just his Top 100 debut, but made him the first player born in 2004 or later to reach the Top 100 in ATP rankings history.

And two weeks ago in Banja Luka he made even more waves, not only defeating three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka in the first round, but then winning the first set—and going up an early break in the third—before falling to 22-time major champion Djokovic, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2.

Since 2016, the only other players to win three or more Challengers before turning 19—Alcaraz, Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner—have all reached the Top 10. Could Van Assche be next?

"I grew up watching Novak's matches. It's a privilege to play against him," Van Assche said of Djokovic before pushing the ATP legend to three sets in Banja Luka.

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Arthur Fils [FRA #124]

A runner-up to Van Assche in the Roland Garros juniors in 2021, Fils won his first Challenger this year in Oeiras, Portugal, then made headlines in Montpellier in February when he beat former Top 10 players Richard Gasquet and Roberto Bautista Agut—both in straight sets—to become the first player born in 2004 or later to reach an ATP quarterfinal.

A day later, he one-upped his own record, beating Quentin Halys to become the first player born in 2004 or later to reach an ATP semifinal.

And in his very next tournament in Marseille he reached his second ATP semifinal—taking out another former Top 10 player, Wawrinka, in straight sets—before falling to countryman Benjamin Bonzi.

Having started 2023 ranked No. 251, Fils’ Challenger results and the two back-to-back ATP semifinals pushed him all the way to a career-high of No. 104 at the end of February. He’s currently ranked No. 124, and with less than 200 points to defend the entire rest of the year, it’s only a matter of time before Fils joins Van Assche in the Top 100.

Fils has already had wins over former Top 10 players Gasquet, Bautista Agut and Wawrinka.

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So who else is on the horizon?

Below are the Top 10-ranked teenagers on the current ATP rankings, which includes China’s Shang Juncheng, a former junior No. 1 who just got his first career win at a major at the Australian Open this year, and Abdullah Shelbayh, who’s been training at the Rafa Nadal Academy for more than five years, and who’s made history this year—in Doha he became the first Jordanian ever to play an ATP match, and in Banja Luka he became the first Jordanian ever to win an ATP match.

CURRENT TOP 10 TEENAGERS ON ATP RANKINGS:

No. 86 Luca Van Assche (FRA) (age 18)
No. 124 Arthur Fils (FRA) (age 18)
No. 152 Luca Nardi (ITA) (age 19)
No. 189 Shang Juncheng (CHN) (age 18)
No. 212 Hamad Medjedovic (SRB) (age 19)
No. 222 Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN) (age 19)
No. 231 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (FRA) (age 19)
No. 243 Abdullah Shelbayh (JOR) (age 19)
No. 263 Alex Michelsen (USA) (age 18)
No. 270 James McCabe (AUS) (age 19)

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