No one is stopping Carlos Alcaraz. The 19-year-old Spaniard stunned world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a marathon semi-final bout at the Madrid Open to reach the final of the Masters 1000 tournament. In a match that lasted three and a half hours, Alcaraz tied with Djokovic and defeated the Serb 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5).
Carlos Alcaraz became the first man to reach the final of a clay-court tournament after beating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in back-to-back matches. Considered to be the next big thing in men’s singles tennis, Alcaraz defeated Nadal in a mere three-set fight in the men’s singles quarterfinals on Friday.
Alcaraz also became the youngest finalist at the prestigious Madrid Open. The 19-year-old broke Nadal’s record from 2005 in just 4 months.
It was the fourth final of the year for Carlos Alcaraz, who won titles in Rio, Miami and Barcelona last month. This year’s stellar performances have helped him break into the top 10 for the first time in his career and the journey to the final of the Madrid Open is likely to take him to No. 6 in the men’s singles rankings.
career defining moment @alcarazcarlos03 , @MutuaMadridOpen , #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/0be2Anfaq0
— ATP Tour (@atptour) 7 May 2022
beating the best
Speaking about his dream run at the Madrid Open, Alcaraz said defeating two of the game’s great names – Nadal and Djokovic – will only boost his confidence as he reaches the final on Sunday.
“I know I’ve played really well, and for the rest of the season I feel like I’ll be able to play against the best players in the world and beat them, so that gives me a lot of confidence,” he said. said. ,
He will face defending champion Alexander Zverev or Stefanos Tsitsipas, who met in the semi-finals late on Saturday.
Alcaraz converted on his third match point to secure the victory in front of a raucous home crowd on Caza Magica center court.
elcaraz
On the other hand, Novak Djokovic, who missed the Australian Open in the much-hyped visa row, is still on the hunt for his first title of the season. However, the 20-time Grand Slam champion is slowly but surely gearing up for a lead in this month’s French Open.