Carlos Alcarazâs decision to skip the Madrid Open is proving to be the right call. The young Spanish star continued his stellar form, defeating Lorenzo Musetti to reach the Rome Open final. In the process, he achieved a remarkable milestone in Masters 1000 tournaments.
With the victory, the four-time Grand Slam champion matched tennis legend Stefan Edberg for the second-most wins in a playerâs first 100 ATP Masters 1000 matches since the ATP Tourâs inception in 1990. Alcaraz now boasts a 77-23 record in this category, trailing only compatriot Rafael Nadal, who holds an incredible 83-17 mark.
Additionally, Alcaraz has now reached the finals of six out of nine Masters 1000 events at just 22 years old. He also became the second-youngest player to advance to the final of all three clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments, once again following in the footsteps of Nadal.
Alcaraz reflects on his victory
Following the match, Alcaraz spoke about the challenges he faced, especially due to the tricky weather conditions. âToday was a really difficult day with the conditions; the wind was tough to play with,â Alcaraz said.
He emphasized that the match was about strategy rather than flashy play. âIt wasnât about playing brilliant, spectacular tennis. It was about playing smart tennisâplaying solid, going to the point when you can, and waiting for the chance to play aggressively,â Alcaraz explained. âI think I did that pretty well. I stayed strong mentally when things didnât go my wayâ.
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Alcaraz on the crowdâs behavior
Italian tennis fans are known for their passionate support, as evidenced by a recent crowd incident involving Daniil Medvedev during his loss against Musetti. Reflecting on the crowd during his own match, Alcaraz noted their strong backing for Musetti but praised their overall respect.
âToday the crowd was for Lorenzo. So it wasnât easy. It was great, honestly. The atmosphere was great. I have to say thank you for them being respectful as well,â Alcaraz said. âObviously, there were some moments they were cheering for him between serves or whatever. But in general, they were respectful. So I have to thank themâ.
