{"id":47860,"date":"2022-03-19T05:07:50","date_gmt":"2022-03-19T09:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=47860"},"modified":"2022-03-27T07:51:27","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T11:51:27","slug":"carlos-alcaraz-historic-semifinals-indian-wells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2022\/03\/19\/carlos-alcaraz-historic-semifinals-indian-wells\/","title":{"rendered":"Carlos Alcaraz Makes A Historic Run to the Semifinals in Indian Wells"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the sun went down in Riverside County yesterday, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> became the youngest man to make an Indian Wells semifinal since Andre Agassi in 1988. However, even Agassi\u2019s run falls short in comparison\u2013\u2013Alcaraz hasn\u2019t dropped a set yet.\u00a0 His eight-set journey to the semifinals reveals a trail of compact, efficient victories over top players, including resurgent veteran Gael Monfils and the tournament\u2019s defending champion, Cameron Norrie. Alcaraz\u2019s <\/span>own words<\/span><\/a> on his playing style, \u201c[I\u2019m] trying to be aggressive at all times,\u201d do not fully capture the buzzsaw-like offense he has displayed at Indian Wells this year. Tomorrow\u2019s match against fellow Spaniard and his self-proclaimed idol, Rafa Nadal, will be his biggest test to date.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a real moment to savor for Alcaraz, who looked totally in control during Thursday\u2019s 6-4 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Norrie. Throughout his meteoric rise on the ATP Tour, Alcaraz has often referred to Nada as the inspiration for his game. \u201cHe\u2019s my idol because of his character, attitude, and the passion he has for tennis,” a 17-year-old Alcaraz <\/span>proclaimed<\/span><\/a> in 2020. The admiration between the Spanish nationals is clear. Speaking ahead of their upcoming match, Nadal <\/span>remarked<\/span><\/a>, \u201cCarlos reminds me a lot of myself when I was 17 or 18. I think he has the passion, talent, and physical components.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Alcaraz\u2019s performance at Indian Wells is another distinction of his already-unprecedented year.\u00a0 In January, he marched to the third round of the Australian Open, eventually losing to Matteo Berrettini 2-6 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 6-7(5) in a thriller lasting four hours and 10 minutes. A month later, Alcaraz avenged himself against Berrettini, beating the Italian 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Rio Open. After his quarterfinal victory, Alcaraz ventured on to win the entire tournament, beating Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-2 to secure his first-ever ATP 500 Title. The title win served as a sizable rankings boost, too. Alcaraz entered California\u2019s \u201cfifth Grand Slam\u201d with a career-high ranking of 19.<\/span><\/p>\n

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