Carlos Alcaraz’s teenage years could not have been much better on the tennis court. Already a Grand Slam champion and No. 1 player in the world, he is also off to a perfect start in his 20s.
The Spaniard celebrated his 20th birthday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Borna Coric in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday afternoon. Alcaraz needed one hour and 40 minutes to set up a showdown in the championship match against either qualifier Aslan Karatsev or lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff.
It will be the top seed’s second consecutive Madrid final, having defeated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev en route to last year’s title.
“I enjoy playing here in Madrid,” Alcaraz assured. “I always try to make [the fans] happy and myself happy, as wel. I don’t think about the pressure here, I just think about playing a great game; getting good results. It’s a really special place for me. I enjoy every second here, so that’s all I think about.”
The reigning U.S. Open champ is now 11-1 lifetime at the Madrid Masters with a loss only to Nadal in 2021. Prior to beating Coric he ousted Emil Ruusuvuori, Grigor Dimitrov, Zverev, and Karen Khachanov. All of his matches except the opener against Ruusuvuori have required just two sets.
“It means a lot to me, playing a final again here in Madrid,” Alcaraz added. “It’s such a special place for me and I have great memories since I came here to play [as an] under-12. Of course last year was amazing. Turning 20 like that is special, so I will enjoy the final here and of course I will try to make all of Spain happy.”
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nice one, Charles
Happy birthday, Charlie….he’ll win in 2.