Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz exults after his victory over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Miami, April 1, 2022MATTHEW STOCKMAN
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The 18-year-old phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz, soon to reign over world tennis, will try to record his irresistible rise, Sunday in the final of the Miami Masters 1000, of which he can become the youngest winner, if he beats the tough Norwegian Casper Ruud.
The Spaniard, 16th in the world, was intractable against the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (10th), who was defending champion and fought with all his might to keep it. But he gave in to a rock, which left him almost no chance to make a difference in a very tight match, concluded by two decisive games 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (6/2), after 2:05. “Hubert was the defending champion, he played well, but I played very well. It will be my first big final on a hard court, but I have confidence in myself and I will enjoy it“, he commented hot.
Semi-finalist two weeks ago in Indian Wells, only beaten by Rafael Nadal after a big fight, Alcaraz walks in the footsteps of his glorious elder – what all of tennis Spain, decidedly spoiled, has known for a long time -, since he became the second youngest player in history to reach the final of the event, after the Majorcan who was a month younger than him in 2005.
But can he do better than his elder? In 2005, “Rafa” had yielded in the final against Roger Federer. Alcaraz sees himself well (already) overtaking the master…
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