Rafael Nadal defeated Alcaraz 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in a semi-final that lasted more than three hours
Rafael Nadal stretched his best-ever start to a season to 20-0 with a hard fought win against Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final of Indian Wells Masters. Nadal has now made it to his fourth straight final of the season and is scheduled to face U.S.A star Taylor Fritz. Nadal has played three tournaments previously in 2022 and has won all of them – the Melbourne Summer Set, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open. Carlos Alcaraz himself went into the match in top form with a 12-1 win record in 2022. Fans expected the match between the prodigy and his idol to be intensely-fought and both players certainly delivered!
Speaking after the match, Nadal lauded his compatriot for a great effort. “I took it like another semi-final match. He is not a young player that is 100 in the world and is upcoming. He is a top player already so I treated it like that, playing against one of the best players in the world“, said Nadal. The World No. 4 further added, “It doesn’t matter if he’s young or not, he’s a great guy, an amazing player and he has a fantastic future I treated it like this, just tried to go on court, try my best and accept all the challenges. I am through and it was a very important victory for me.”
Fans react to the match on Twitter
Tennis fans across the world had their eyes on the match between Nadal and Alcaraz. The 18-year old is often touted to be Nadal’s successor while the teenager considers the senior Spaniard, his ‘idol’.
“Carlos played incredibly well. I believe no other player would have beaten him today, only Rafa. I’ve no doubt in my mind that Nadal is the GOAT”, a twitter user aptly summed up the result.
While Nadal fans were elated with the victory, everyone did have words of praise for the teenager Alcaraz, who put up an incredible show. “That was then and this is now”, tweeted a fan posting a picture of young Alcaraz with his idol, Nadal back in the 2010s. A decade later, the same Alcaraz is now one of the primary challengers to the 21-time Grand Slam Champion.
“No doubt at all, @carlosalcaraz is the future of men’s tennis. I’m so happy he’s arrived. What a player he will be!”, tweeted a fan praising Alcaraz for an amazing display of tennis.
Meanwhile, Nadal is all set to take on Taylor Fritz in the final, eyeing a consecutive 4th title in 2022 – can he do it?
Less than 24 hours before we have the answer and tennis fans across the globe will certainly have their eyes glued to the clash.
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