Carlos Alcaraz will defend his title at the Mutua Madrid Open this Sunday in what will be his fourth final of a Masters 1000 tournament. The previous three already shine in his showcase. The Murcian celebrated his 20th birthday in style on the Manolo Santana court, defeating Borna Coric (6-4, 6-3), and then cutting the cake that the organization had prepared for him. It was all smiles for the man from El Palmar in the capital, his happy day.
Alcaraz and Coric had never met on the ATP, in what was presumed to be a very interesting duel, between the king of drop shots and one of the fastest players on the circuit. But the Murcian was peeling the Croatian like an onion until there was nothing left and he took another step to recover the number 1. For this, he must win the title and play at least one game in Rome.
The first game of the match was scored by Coric with his serve after more than 12 minutes of play. A very tough start to the game before which Alcaraz did not wrinkle. He was not afraid of the Murcian to enter into an exchange of blows, aware of his superiority. He was patient and already in the fifth game, the El Palmar prodigy signed the first break of the match, which would end up deciding the first set in his favor.
After an hour of play to draw a 6-4 scoreline, in the second set there were more ups and downs on both sides and the game didn't last that long. The course of the match was defined in the first games, in which Alcaraz and Coric broke their serve three consecutive times, with an advantage for the Spaniard, who certified his victory with a final break in the last game of the match.
To celebrate, the audience sang Happy Birthday while Alcaraz's smile grew bigger.
