Teenager Carlos Alcaraz ended the 10-match win streak of Hubert Hurkacz in Miami on Friday night to became the second-youngest finalist ever with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) semifinal win.
Alcaraz, who will not turn 19 until May 5, will face Casper Ruud in the final, after Ruud defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-1 in the first semifinal earlier in the day.
“It was a tough match, even though the scoreline said two straight sets,” Ruud said of the tie. “It was tough.
“I have a lot of emotions right now. It’s something that you dream of when you are a child.
“It’s really good to be in the final here in Miami. I love playing here. The crowd is amazing. I’m going to approach the final like a first round, trying to mask the nerves.
“I’m going to enjoy it, it’s going to be a great final.”
Alcaraz trailed 3-5 in the opening-set tie-break, but then won four straight points to close out the set.
The sec set set went the same way as the first and after surviving two break points at 5-all, Alcaraz dominated the second tie-break as Hurkacz made a number of unlikely errors.
“I couldn’t return his serves, but I knew that the match was going to be long sets like it was, 7-6, 7-6,” Alcaraz said.
“At the beginning, I saw that I couldn’t return. I thought we were going to play a lot of tie-breaks… A little bit different [than my previous matches] with his serve, but it’s a great win for me.”
