Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, beat Borna Coric 6-4, 6-3 on Friday to advance to the Madrid Open final, celebrating his 20th birthday by pursuing his fourth championship of the year.
The top-seeded Spaniard will face lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff in the final after the German overcame a set deficit to defeat qualifier Aslan Karatsev 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the opposite semi-final.
Alcaraz expressed his enthusiasm for taking part in the Madrid final, which he views as a special place. After winning the U.S. Open in September of last year, Alcaraz, who has had a strong start to his career, became the youngest man to reach the top of the world rankings. He has also won three Masters 1000 tournaments while still a teen.
Alcaraz put pressure on Coric during their first-ever meeting and prevailed in the opening set. Although he had some issues with his own serve, Alcaraz quickly sealed his 28th victory in 30 games this year.
Struff, who went on an impressive run after being added to the main draw, had to fight hard to defeat the injured Karatsev.
In his second final appearance, Struff is now going for his first ATP championship. Iga Swiatek, the current world number one, and Aryna Sabalenka, the winner of the Australian Open, will face off in the women’s final on Saturday.
