Tag: Carlos Alcaraz

MADRID: The 18-years-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz avenged his country’s great Rafael Nadal with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory in a see-saw clash to set up a semi-final clash with the top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the ongoing Madrid Open.

Alcaraz, who suffered a second-round defeat in the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open against Nadal, bounced back to avenge his loss as the teenager displayed a resilliant effort to seal a scintillating victory over the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

Alcaraz survived a classic Nadal comeback and a painful second-set fall to win in a challenging two-hour, 29-minute clash on the clay.

In the first set, Alcaraz was untouchable, hitting 19 winners as Nadal battled to match the level and intensity of his opponent’s game. A mix of big baseline hitting and brilliant drop shots gained Alcaraz two more breaks as he raced to the first set victory.

The veteran, on the other hand, did not panic despite a strong start from his opponent and began to fire as he sensed a drop in Alcaraz’s level.

Nadal, who seemed favourite for his 12th appearance in the Madrid Open semi-finals, was denied the victory by incredible tenacity from his younger opponent.

The 18-years-old Spaniard will now lock horns with the top-ranked Djokovic in the semi-final as the two come face to face for the first time in an ATP tournament.

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BARCELONA: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz continued his exceptional run in the quarter-final of the ongoing Barcelona Open as the young Tennis star outshined top-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the final four of the tournament.

Alcaraz, who reached his fourth semi-final of the season after an exceptional victory over Tsistipas, will now storm into the top 10 of the ATP Tour Rankings on Monday.

His surge into the top 10 will make him the youngest player to book a position after his country’s great Rafael Nadal did it in 2005.

In an exciting match, Alcaraz neutralized an exceptional comeback from Tsitsipas to seal a stunning victory 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

Alcaraz seemed to get a bit more relaxed after his first set success, but Tsipsipas’s exceptional comeback in the second set forced the youngster to regroup and he managed to do that as he clinched the last set of the match to seal his ‘biggest victory on clay court’.

“Probably my biggest win on clay court. It was an unbelievable game that I played, an unbelievable atmosphere that I lived today on the court. It was unbelievable everything. The atmosphere here, the crowd, the level that I played, the level of the match. It was incredible,” Alcaraz said.

In another quarter-final, another Spaniard tennis player Pablo Carreno Busta booked his semi-final berth after an amazing victory over Norweigian Casper Ruud 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.

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BARCELONA: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz displayed an electrifying performance in a successful Spanish homecoming as he outshined Korea’s Soon-woo Kwon in the second round of the ongoing Barcelona Open, here at Pista Rafa Nadal.

The Spaniard, who is playing in his home country for the first time since May, won his first career match in Barcelona, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, to get back on track following an early departure from Monte Carlo Masters.

Despite Alcaraz being in his electrifying best, the Korean Kwon added the drama by winning the second set of frames and displaying his talent.

Alcaraz was ranked 119 in the ATP Rankings a year ago when he competed in the Barcelona Open. The 19-years-old, however, took to the court this week with a career-high ranking of 11.

Alcaraz will now face his countryman Jaume Munar in the third round to book his spot in the quarter-finals. Munar, on the other hand, will be taking the court with great momentum as he thumped Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4, earlier on Wednesday.

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MIAMI: Carlos Alcaraz is one win away from creating Miami Open history after defeating defending champion Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets to book a final date on Sunday with Norway’s Casper Ruud.

The 18-year-old Spanish sensation brought the crowd at Hard Rock Stadium to their feet for the second night in succession following his dramatic quarter-final win over Miomir Kecmanovic on Thursday night as he saw off 10th-ranked Hurkacz of Poland 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/2) to reach his first ATP Masters final.

If he triumphs this weekend, Alcaraz, who made the last four in Indian Wells earlier this month, will become the youngest champion in the tournament’s 37-year history.

“This will be my first big final on a hard court but I have confidence and I am going to enjoy it.” said a delighted Alcaraz during a courtside interview after completing the win in just over two hours.

World number eight Ruud, meanwhile, becomes the first Norwegian to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final. His clash with the 2021 ATP Next Gen champion will be the biggest match of his career.

Ruud’s father, Christian, was Norway’s most successful player until he was surpassed by Casper, reaching 39th in the world. His first Masters 1000 final comes after three semi-final defeats at the level.

He overpowered Cerundolo, making his first appearance at the elite Masters level, 6-4, 6-1.

Cerundolo, cheered on by an enthusiastic group of Argentina fans in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium, was outserved by Ruud in the first set and a break to make it 3-1 in the second signalled the beginning of the end for the world number 103.

“I didn’t expect that if I ever made a Masters 1000 final, it would be here in Miami but I’ll take it,” said Ruud, who sealed the win with an ace.

For Cerundolo, defeat hurt but the progress made by the 23-year-old in south Florida is undeniable.

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