ATP Masters Madrid: Alcaraz beats Nadal after a moment of shock
Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid with a 6: 2, 1: 6 and 6: 3 against Rafael Nadal . And had to survive a moment of shock at the beginning of the second set.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 06, 2022, 06:45 pm
Here is the match to read in the live ticker!
You have to seize the opportunities that come your way. Even if you have as many successes as Rafael Nadal. And so the Spanish matador initially showed no mercy after his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz fell at the beginning of the second set while trying to get a ball. And then had to take medical leave.
skymadrid2022
Before that, Alcaraz had set the tone in the third meeting with Nadal, set one 6: 2 for such. After his mishap, Alcaraz made 13 mistakes unnecessarily in the second set, which went 6-1 to Nadal. In addition to the ankle, the teenager's punching hand also appeared to have been affected.
Djokovic is waiting in the semifinals
In the decision, the youngster was there again - and benefited from a few mistakes by Nadal in the break to make it 3-1. Alcaraz gratefully accepted this and now developed the same pressure as at the beginning of the match. After 2:27 hours of play, Carlos Alcaraz had his first match point. And used it in a sensational manner. With this success, Alcaraz also set a precedent: never before had a teenager managed to win against Rafael Nadal on ash.
Novak Djokovic, who had no problems in the 6: 3 and 6: 4 against Hubert Hurkacz, is now waiting in the semifinals. The cast of the second match of the semifinals will only be determined tonight: Stefanis Tsitsipas will meet Andrey Rublev from 8 p.m., then Alexander Zverev will play against Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Here is the individual tableau in Madrid
madrid map