Carlos Alcaraz became the first teenager to beat Rafael Nadal as the young Spaniard shruged off injury to record an impressive 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win, setting up the Madrid Open semi-final against world number 1, Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz who sustained injury in the course of the encounter, rose above the injury to history making finish Friday. Medics rushed onto the court during the game after he suffered an ankle injury,but the young Spaniard shrugged it off to record an impressive victory over Nadal.
The 19-year-old will face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final.
Rafael Nadal and everyone else at the Madrid Open got a glimpse of both the present and the future when he was soundly defeated by his heir.
A day after his 19th birthday, Carlos Alcaraz became the first teenager to beat the Spanish legend when he reached the semi-finals with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win. He now meets the resurgent Novak Djokovic.
The young man from Murcia is in ninth place and is the clear third favorite for the French Open. He already has a Masters title under his belt this year with the Miami Open.
While Nadal is yet to return to his best after a rib fracture layoff, and unlike Paris, Madrid is relatively high, it’s easy to see why Alcaraz is seen as the next superstar in the men’s game.
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He shrugged off the sharp turn of his ankle during the match and had no nerve when it came to serving. At 5-3 30-30, he produced a drop shot and then a forehand pass to fire his country’s greatest player in history with a minimum of fuss.
His drop shot is already seen as one of the great shots in the sport, and he is much more than just a clay court player. Djokovic came earlier with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.