Carlos Alcaraz is expecting a 'complicated semifinal' on Tuesday as he locks horns with a familiar opponent in Jannik Sinner.
At the time of his interview, Alcaraz was yet to learn the identity of his semifinal opponent, as the last quarterfinal at the China Open had not been concluded. Alcaraz had comfortably sealed his place in the semifinal with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win over Casper Ruud.
The top seed fell 0-3 behind in the opening stanza, but he upped his intensity and baseline aggression to turn the score and the match around. Alcaraz dropped just three of the next 15 games to close out a straight sets win in a redux of the 2022 US Open final which he won.
Alcaraz extends his unbeaten record against the Norwegian to four matches and is the only player with 60 or more wins in 2023 after notching his 61st win on Monday. Ahead of the semifinal, Alcaraz acknowledged the tough task Sinner had at his disposal, which he passed by defeating Dimitrov in three sets.
"First he has to defeat Dimitrov, closing a match is always difficult. But yes, I think a match against Sinner is something everyone wants to see. We have played great matches on big stages, every time we have faced each other we have shown a very high level of tennis."
"The level we show on the court is incredible, I think everyone enjoys our matches. If he wins, I will really want to play against him, but whether it is against Grigor or against Jannik, it will be a very complicated semifinal."
Alcaraz and Sinner are currently tied at 3-3 in their head-to-head. It's been the most fascinating rivalry between the two products of the Next Gen project. Alcaraz's rise has been meteoric and groundbreaking. Sinner's has been steady and fulfilling. And Tuesday's match promises another exhilarating contest between the pair.
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