World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz remained on track for his fourth title of 2023 by powering into the semi-finals of the Madrid Open with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.
Alcaraz managed to break the Russian’s serve in the seventh game, closing the first set 6-4.
However, the Spaniard began the second set a little distracted and allowed Khachanov to open up a 4-1 lead before he woke up to fight back and win the match in under two hours.
“Winning this match gives me a lot of confidence,” Alcaraz said. “Karen had been playing at a high level and took me to the limit, it was decided by small details.
“I will train for Friday, but with a lot of tranquillity and calm, I will not be overwhelmed and I have to be fresh.”
Alcaraz has reached 18 consecutive wins in Spanish clay-court tournaments since losing to Rafael Nadal in Madrid two years ago.
His winning percentage overall on clay is already the third-best since 2010 (82.3 per cent), behind only Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
World No.2’s dreams
Alcaraz has enjoyed a spectacular start to his career by winning a grand slam crown and three Masters 1000 titles as a teenager and said he dreams of becoming one of the game’s all-time greats.
The Spaniard, who turns 20 on Friday, won the US Open last September to become the youngest man to top the world rankings.
The ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have dominated men’s tennis for nearly 20 years, collectively winning 64 grand slams.
While only Djokovic and Nadal of the three are still active, Alcaraz said reaching their level will be a daunting task.
“Well, my dream in tennis right now is to become one of the best players in history,” Alcaraz said.
“In this world, you have to dream big and you have to think big, as well,” Alcaraz said.
“I want to be part of the best tennis players in history and I’ll work for it.”
Alcaraz, who is seeking a fourth title of the season after triumphs in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells and Barcelona, continues his Madrid title defence on Friday when he takes on Croatian Borna Coric in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz said he plans to play in Rome next week as he builds up for the French Open, which starts on May 28.
Iga thrashes Martic
In the women’s singles, world No.1 Iga Swiatek showed her clay-court dominance as she beat Petra Martic 6-0, 6-3.
Swiatek will face Veronika Kudermetova for a place in the final after the Russian beat American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 and reach the Madrid Open semis earlier.
“I think it was a pretty solid and clean performance,” Swiatek told a news conference later.
“I’m pretty happy with the way I focused. I was pretty consistent with my tactics and I think it paid off.”
