18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz defeated Cameron Norrie in less than two hours to set up a semifinal match against his idol, Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz stunned the reigning Indian Wells champion with a 6-4, 6-3 scoreline to become the second youngest player to reach the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event since Andre Agassi in 1988.
Two breaks down in the opening set of the match, the 18-year-old won the final three games. He earned his third break point in the longest game of the night in a five-deuce tiebreak. Cameron failed to take advantage of said opportunities as Alcaraz took the set 6-4. The second set started in similar fashion as the British no.1 went up a break. However, he couldn’t consolidate the break with Carlos winning the break points in each of his last three return games.
Enroute the semifinal, the Spaniard faced the likes of Monfils Gael, Bautista-Agut and hasn’t dropped a set yet throughout the competition.
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Rafael Nadal
Nadal has kept his perfect start to the season without blemish, going 19-0 since the beginning of the 2022 season. The 35-year-old needed three sets to oust Australian Nick Kyrgios, winning 7-6 (7-0), 5-7, 6-4. The match between these powerhouses was nothing short of dramatic, a Nick element.
Having wasted his chances in the opener, the Aussie lost the tie break 7-0 for a complete meltdown. Despite throwing his racquet and arguing with the chair umpire, he remained focused throughout the match. Nick was more composed in the second as he was the better player for much of the second set. He earned the first break point of the set which also served as set point to win the set 7-5.
The momentum shifted in the third set to Kyrgios, as Nadal showed a lack of consistency in the first few games. A quick turnaround came as a result of Nick being frustrated by the crowd as he broke another racket and nearly hit a ball kid. Soon after this display, the match went in favour of Nadal. He got his second break point of the match to lead 4-3. Both players won their service games as Nadal closed out the match to win the final set 6-4.
Rafa celebrated another record, being the first player to reach 400 Masters 1000 victories after his win over Dan Evans. The Spanish player will be aiming for his fourth title in Indian Wells.