Alcaraz won 6-4, 7-5 in just under two hours, after overcoming a 5-2 deficit in the second set.

Blowing out his candles on the Madrid court has become a habit for the young phenomenon from El Palmar (eastern Spain). Two years ago, precisely on the day of his majority, he barely existed against his prestigious elder Rafael Nadal, who emerged victorious 6-1, 6-2. A year ago, the day after his 19th birthday, he took his revenge on "Rafa", the highlight of a crazy week in Madrid that he had finished trophy in hand. "What happened?" he wrote on camera, still incredulous.

This year, it is a place in the final, and a chance to sign a double in the Spanish capital, which will be at stake for "Carlitos" on his birthday. He will face Croatia's Borna Coric (20th) or Germany's Daniel Altmaier (92nd and lucky loser), opposed at the end of the evening.

"Dream big"

What do you dream of, at the dawn of your twenty years, when you already know what it is to be crowned in Grand Slam (US Open 2022) and to be N.1 in the world? To "become one of the best tennis players in history," Alcaraz calmly replies. "It's a big dream, probably too big, but you have to dream big. And I'm going to work for that."

In the meantime, his record as a "teenager" - from Friday, he will leave this age category - will stop at 150 matches played on the ATP circuit, including 113 won, or 75% success.

Carlos Alcaraz on May 3, 2023 during his quarterfinal victory at the Masters 1000 in Madrid against Russia's Karen Khachanov. The Spaniard is 17 wins to only one defeat this season on clay © Thomas COEX / AFP / Archives

"It's amazing in such a short time on the circuit, let's say two and a half years, to have played so many matches and won so many," Alcaraz smiled. "It's a source of pride. To see, also, that in such a short time, I settled on the circuit, I played great matches, lived incredible moments ... All these matches made me grow very quickly."

On Wednesday, Juan-Carlos Ferrero's protégé subdued Khachanov and his heavy strikes.

If in the eighth-finals, the day before, he had left only three games to Alexander Zverev, former world N.2 now 16th, Khachanov made the task much more difficult.

It was first a balanced big arm fight that was engaged, until Alcaraz made his variations speak to break (4-3) and pocket the first set.

Kudermetova first

In the second, an empty pass cost the Spaniard a break (3-1), and he narrowly avoided a second, thanks to a winning cushioning and a backhand rocket along the line. Khachanov served to tie at one set all over, at 5 games to 3, but the world No. 2 came to his senses and avoided a decisive set by winning this game and the next three.

"Winning this game gives me a lot of confidence, he played at a very high level, he pushed me to my limits," he said.

Already titled on ochre in Buenos Aires in February and in Barcelona ten days ago, Alcaraz now has 17 wins for only one defeat on clay (in the final in Rio) in 2023. Beyond Madrid, this record inevitably makes it one of the favorites for Roland-Garros in just over three weeks (May 28-June 11).

In the women's draw, Russia's Veronika Kudermetova (13th) stunned American Jessica Pegula, world No. 3 and outgoing finalist, in the quarterfinals. For her first semi-final in WTA 1000, she will face either world No. 1 Iga Swiatek or Croatian Petra Martic (33rd).

Russia's Veronika Kudermetova on May 3, 2023 after defeating American Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid © Thomas COEX / AFP/Archives

The other semifinal will pit Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, world No. 2, against Greece's Maria Sakkari, No. 9.

© 2023 AFP