Alcaraz celebrates 20th birthday with return to Madrid final
MADRID (AP) — In control during his semifinal victory at the Madrid Open on Friday, Carlos Alcaraz suddenly looked at a loss when he completed his two sets against Borna Coric.
After finishing off Coric 6-4, 6-3, Alcaraz was presented by tournament organizers with a massive birthday cake which was crowned by a huge tennis ball with the number 20.
Hands on hips, Alcaraz appeared stunned.
But, as usual, the Spanish star rose to the challenge. He deftly sliced off a thin piece of what looked to be mainly icing to try his cake before taking a swig from his water bottle.
After the crowd sung “Happy Birthday” in Spanish, Alcaraz told the packed Manolo Santana Stadium, “It truly is incredible to celebrate my birthday with all of you. Each year I celebrate my birthday here. When I turned 18, I played Rafael Nadal (in a loss), when I turned 19 I played (Cameron) Norrie (in a win), and now at 20 I advance to the final.”
The second-ranked Alcaraz will play Jan-Lennard Struff or Aslan Karatsev on Sunday.
Alcaraz is aiming for his fourth title of the season after triumphs in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, and Barcelona. He is also preparing for the French Open this month.
If Alcaraz successfully defends his title in Madrid, he will recover his world No. 1 ranking by playing one match in Rome next week.
In his first matchup with Alcaraz, Coric surprised early with his ability to counter his drop shots, so Alcaraz changed tactics and just battered his opponent into submission. He took a 3-2 break lead and didn’t look back.
Alcaraz has dropped only one set – the first in his opener against Emil Ruusuvuori – at the tournament he won for the first time last year en route to becoming the U.S. Open and the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP history.
After that comeback win over Ruusuvouri, Alcaraz made quick work of Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov to reach the semifinals.
Women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will meet for the title on Saturday.
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