Carlos Alcaraz is into the Italian Open final for the first time in his career.
The Spaniard entered the Masters 1000 event in Rome for just the second time amid doubts around his fitness.
This was due to Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the previous tournament in Madrid due to an adductor injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April.
But Carlos Alcaraz dismissed any fears with his performances at the Foro Italico over the past week by reaching his third successive final of the season after beating home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.
Carlos Alcaraz makes ATP history behind Rafael Nadal after reaching the Italian Open final
For Alcaraz to reach the championship match at the Italian Open, he needed to defeat home favourite Musetti, who is the ninth man to reach the last four at all three clay-court Masters 1000 events in the same season.
The 23-year-old reached the semi-finals without dropping a set and he defeated the likes of Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Alexander Zverev along the way.
But his toughest test came in the form of Alcaraz, who he had been unable to beat in four previous meetings.
It was more of the same for Musetti who was unable to stop the World number two from surging into an early lead.
After rallying to a 6-5 advantage in set two, he squandered a match point on Musetti’s serve, before claiming the tiebreak to seal a 6-3, 7-6 win.
The result means that at the age of 22, Alcaraz is the second-youngest player to reach the final at three ATP Masters 1000 events on clay, trailing only Rafael Nadal, who achieved the same feat at the age of 20 back in 2007.
Carlos Alcaraz comments on the conditions during his Italian Open semi-final win
Alcaraz and Musetti did battle in sunny yet windy conditions at the Italian Open.
At times the Spaniard’s level of play fluctuated as he managed the elements on court, but as he has done so often, he found a way to win.
After the match Alcaraz stressed that the most important thing was the result rather than the performance, and this is his 26th win from his last 28 matches on clay.
“Today was a really difficult day with the conditions, the wind was tough to play with,” Alcaraz said post-match. “It wasn’t about playing brilliant, spectacular tennis.
“It was about playing smart tennis, playing solid, going to the point when you can, and waiting for the chance to play aggressively. I think I did that pretty well, I stayed strong mentally when things didn’t go to my side.”
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