Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, celebrated his 20th birthday in style by storming into the Madrid Open final. He secured his spot in the final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Borna Coric, keeping his hopes of winning his fourth title of the season alive.
Alcaraz dominated his first career meeting against the Croatian, putting immense pressure on him from the start. He eventually drew first blood with a searing forehand in the fifth game of a grueling opening set.
After wrapping up the first set on serve, Alcaraz continued to dominate and grabbed an early break to take a 4-2 lead in the next set. Coric put up a fight, but it was not enough to stop the Spaniard from claiming the win.
Alcaraz celebrated his 28th win in 30 matches this year by cutting a massive cake on the court. He will face the winner of the other semi-final match between Aslan Karatsev and Jan-Lennard Struff in the final.
Karatsev, who previously defeated Struff in the final round of qualifying, will be hoping to take revenge for his loss to the German. Struff was added to the main draw as a lucky loser and has enjoyed a great run so far.
He claimed an impressive quarter-final win over world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, and he will be a tough opponent for Karatsev. With Novak Djokovic missing Madrid due to an elbow problem, Alcaraz could become the new world No. 1 if he wins the title this weekend, making his upcoming match in Rome a crucial one.
