Victory in two comfortable sets against Holger Rune in his debut in the quarterfinals of the exhibition tournament
It will probably be the last. Time will tell, and above all, Rafa Nadal’s decision
regarding his schedule in the weeks leading up to the Davis Cup. But everything indicates that
this Thursday’s match (8:00 p.m.) against Carlos Alcaraz will be the final duel between the two on court.
It will be on a different terrain like the Six Kings Slam taking place this week in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). An unofficial indoor hard court tournament with six of the best players in the world, where Alcaraz made his debut this Wednesday in the quarter-final round to meet Nadal in the long-awaited semi-final. He did so with a resounding 6-4, 6-2 victory over Holger Rune.
It was a match played with the utmost seriousness required by the six million dollars that the winner of the tournament receives, double the prize money that was at stake in the US Open. But, since then, Alcaraz has shown himself tremendously superior to a Rune who has not found a way to decipher his serve and who has paid dearly for the concessions with his own.
Alcaraz was in top form , especially with a backhand that was extremely well-tuned from the start. With it he found the first break point in the opening game of the match, which forced Rune to work hard. The Dane managed to save his serve and both players grew with him as the match progressed, with flashes of magic from the Spaniard that brought the crowd to their feet.
But nothing changed until 4-4, when, with another magical point, Alcaraz drew Rune to the net to beat him, position himself with a break point and hit a spectacular crosscourt forehand that made it 5-4 on the scoreboard. It was the prelude to a 6-4 for the Spaniard.
It affected the resolution of the set for Rune, who opened the door to his opening serve in the second set. Alcaraz, launched, releasing passing shots, forehands and points of all colors , broke his rival’s serve to quickly head towards a second set that he has walked into with alacrity. He has never suffered with his serve.
The opposite happened to Rune, who suffered again in the fifth game of the set. He tried to stay in the match by means of setbacks, but Alcaraz responded with enormous returns to seal a 4-1 that was the prelude to the final close of the match: a comfortable 6-2 that puts the Spaniard into the semi-finals.
This Thursday, at 8:00 pm, there will be what could be the last duel between Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. The Murcian, in good form and in great shape, will be a strong favourite against a player from the Balearic Islands who is returning after his break following the Paris Olympic Games. At the top of the draw, another top-level duel in the semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.