“This win’s for you” Carlos Alcaraz pays an emotional tribute to Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero’s late father after semi-final win at the Miami Open
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Carlos Alcaraz
Spanish teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz cruised to his maiden Masters 1000 final with a straight-set win over defending champion Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals of the 2022 Miami Open. The 18-year-old showed maturity far beyond his years as he dashed Hurkacz’s title defense with a scoreline of 7-6(5), 7-6(2) to enter the biggest final of his career.
It was a serve deadlock from both the players in the opening set as it entered a tie-breaker. Alcaraz found himself on the backfoot at 5-3 down a mini-break but pulled off a comeback to edge out the first set. The second set mirrored the first one as the duo put on a serving masterclass to force a tie break and this time Alcaraz was in cruise control as he won the second set and wrap up the match to become the fourth-youngest man to reach a final in Masters 1000 history.
Following his win, Alcaraz wrote a message on the camera “This win’s for you Juanki.” This was a tribute to his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero’s father, who passed away last week.
Alcaraz has been under Ferrero’s tutelage for the past two years, under whom he had a meteoric rise from a player competing at challenger events to reaching Masters 1000 finals. Ferrero could not be there at the Miami Open to see his protege clinch a maiden Masters 1000 final, as he had to fly to Spain upon learning about his father’s sudden death.
Carlos Alcaraz to take on Casper Ruud in the summit clash
It will be a battle of first-time Masters 1000 finalists at the Miami Open with Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud clashing horns for the biggest win of their careers. While Alcaraz became the fourth-youngest man to reach a final in Masters 1000 history, Ruud also had a slice of history with his semi-final win. He became the first Norwegian to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final.
Ruud is generally known for his clay-court prowess but has been near flawless in this tournament so far. The 6th seed dropped only one set en route to the finals, which also included wins over Cameron Norrie and Alexander Zverev. With the incredible poise they displayed so far, it will undoubtedly be a thrilling summit clash as Ruud and Alcaraz battle for their first Masters 1000 crown.
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