Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz, who turned 19 this week, beats world No 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic in Madrid Open, reaches final
Novak Djokovic, left, shakes hands with Carlos Alcaraz at the end of a men's semifinal at the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 7, 2022. Alcaraz won 6-7 , 7-5, 7-6 .
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz came from behind to beat world number one Novak Djokovic 6-7 7-5 7-6 to reach the Madrid Open final. Djokovic, who has yet to win a title this season, rallied from a break down to take the opening set in a tie-breaker and the 34-year-old looked dangerous on his serve as he won 2️1 straight points on it in the opener.
But Alcaraz, who turned 19 this week, showed resilience in the second set as he clawed his way back into the contest, saving a break point and holding for 6-5 before breaking Djokovic to force a decider. The crowd in the Spanish capital got to their feet when Alcaraz completed his comeback, edging out Djokovic in the deciding tiebreak to become the first player to beat Rafa Nadal and Djokovic at the same claycourt event.