Miami Open: Carlos Alcaraz to play Casper Ruud in final
- Published
Carlos Alcaraz could become the third youngest man to win a ATP Masters 1000 title behind Michael Chang (1990 Toronto) and Rafael Nadal (2005 Monte Carlo) if he becomes the Miami champion
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz will play Casper Ruud in the Miami Open final after beating Poland's defending champion Hubert Hurkacz for the biggest result of his flourishing career.
The 18-year-old won 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-2) in just over two hours against Hurkacz to reach his first Masters 1000 final.
Alcaraz will become the tournament's youngest ever champion if he beats Norway's world number eight Ruud, 23.
"It's something that you dream of when you are a child," said Alcaraz.
Alcaraz trailed 5-3 in the first set tie-break but won four straight points. He then saved two break points at 5-5 in the second set before dominating the tie-break.
"I'm going to approach the final like a first round, trying to mask the nerves," the world number 16 added. "I'm going to enjoy it, it's going to be a great final."
Alcaraz, who lost in the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week, could reach as high as 11th in the world if he wins the title on Sunday (18:00 BST).
He won the ATP Next Gen Finals in November and then became the youngest ATP 500 champion with victory at the Rio Open in February.
Casper Ruud has won seven titles on the ATP Tour, including the Argentina Open in February
Ruud also booked his place in his first Masters 1000 final with a comfortable victory over Francisco Cerundolo.
The Norwegian needed one hour and 34 minutes to wrap up a 6-4 6-1 win that moves him one victory away from a second tour title of the season.
Ruud got the decisive break of serve in the 10th game of the opening set. Argentina's Cerundolo, ranked 103rd, was then outclassed in the second set.
Ruud had moved into the last four on the back of a three-set win over Alexander Zverev, while Cerundolo's progress to the semi-finals on his Masters 1000 debut had been assisted by the respective retirements of Reilly Opelka and Jannik Sinner early in their matches because of injury.
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