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Alcaraz establishes himself as a young master of world tennis by beating Korda

AFP

D. MEABE

Carlos Alcaraz yesterday put the finishing touch to a spectacular season with his victory in the Next Gen Finals, a tournament that brings together the best promises of the circuit and which has been held in Milan. At 18 years old, the Murcian beat American Sebastian Korda (39th in the world) in the final, 4-3 (7-5), 4-2 and 4-2. It is his 32nd win of a season in which he has also won his first ATP title, at Umag. No player reached this figure with 18 years since Rafa Nadal achieved it at the same age in 2004.

Alcaraz sealed a dream week in Milan, with five wins in as many matches and a single lost set, certifying his label of great hope in world tennis. It took him an hour and 22 minutes to dispatch his rival, who arrived as second favorite. The one from Totana made a solid and varied tennis. In the early stages of the game he had to save five breaking balls, and from there he managed to win the first set in the tiebreaker and save the remaining two sets with more ease.

“I feel incredible. Being able to win this tournament means a lot to me … I am very happy now », were the first words of the Spaniard after certifying his victory. “I’m very surprised at the level I’m playing indoors,” he admitted.

The semifinal awaits Badosa

The good news for Spanish tennis did not end there. In Mexico, Paula Badosa achieved her second victory in the group stage against the Greek Maria Sakkari by 7-6 (7-4) and 6-4. The triumph placed her at the gates of the mathematical classification for the semifinals at the expense of what happened this past dawn in the match between Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. A victory in the second guaranteed the pass of Badosa, who has yet to play his third game of the league. The Catalan beat her rival in two hours and four minutes.

For his part, Garbiñe Muguruza had gotten into the fight the previous morning to also reach the semifinals of the Masters with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Czech Barbora Krejcikova at the Pan-American Tennis Center in Zapopan (Mexico). The Spanish went ahead with 71.2% of the points won with her first serve.

“I didn’t lose my fighting spirit even though I played the first set a bit erratically. A key moment was the ‘break’ of the second set and to go 4-1, it gave me a good advantage to be alive in the match ». He also added that “I feel confident, it is a tough group but I have options to qualify.”

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