Indian Wells (USA) – Beaten by the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime during the first three duels which opposed them, it was finally the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz who managed to emerge victorious from the court. His first victory over his rival came this Thursday in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells Masters 1000, thus defending at least the semi-final he won last year.

“It’s an incredible feeling to come back this year and reach the semi-finals again, beating a great player like Félix for the first time. So I’m very happy with my level and the way I play. ‘hope to continue like this,’ commented the current world number 2, who can reach the top of the rankings if he is champion of the tournament.

If during the last duel with Aliassime, he had not even managed the break and only one break point, this time Alcaraz produced much more in the service of the rival, added 12 break points during the game and took advantage of three of the them. “I watch the videos of the last games we played each other and it’s something I focused on a lot before the game,” said the Spaniard.

“I tried to return all serves, play aggressively and take the chance when he had his second serve. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since the start of the game. Félix was better when we played indoors, but this time I took advantage of the opportunities,” added the 19-year-old tennis player.

In the semi-finals, he will face Italian Jannik Sinner for the sixth time, accumulating three wins from two losses so far. “I like really hard, high-quality plays. Jannik is a great player, who attacks the balls very well. He not only has a great serve, but also great shots, pushing the opponent to the limit”, analyzed Alcaraz.