ON the attack during most of his semifinal win at the Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz produced his best slice after the match.
Alcaraz was presented with a cake on centre court to celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday after beating 17th-seeded Borna Coric 6-4, 6-3.
After staring at the gargantuan cake whose top was shaped like a tennis ball crowned by the number 20, Alcaraz took a knife and deftly cleaved off a thin piece to give it a try.
After the crowd sung “Happy Birthday” in Spanish, the defending champion told the packed Manolo Santana Stadium, “It truly is incredible to celebrate my birthday with all of you. Each year I celebrate my birthday here. When I turned 18, I played Rafael Nadal (in a loss), when I turned 19 I played (Cameron) Norrie (in a win), and now at 20 I advanced to the final.”
The second-ranked Alcaraz will face 65th-ranked Jan-Lennard Struff in Sunday’s final after the German fought back from a set down to beat Aslan Karatsev.
Alcaraz is aiming for his fourth title of the season after triumphs in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, and Barcelona. He is also preparing for the French Open this month.
If Alcaraz successfully defends his title in Madrid, he will recover his world No. 1 ranking by playing one match in Rome next week.
In his first matchup with Alcaraz, Coric surprised early with his ability to counter his drop shots, so Alcaraz changed tactics and just battered the Croat into submission. He took a 3-2 break lead and didn’t look back.
