Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Holger Rune 6-4 6-2 in the second quarter final of the Six Slam Kings in Ryadh to set up an all-Spanish semifinal showdown against his idol Rafael Nadal.
Both players were neck and neck until the ninth game, when Alcaraz earned his first break to take a 5-4 lead before holding serve to win the first set 6-4.
Alcaraz broke twice in the third and fifth games to close out the second set 6-2.
Nadal leads 2-1 in his three head-to-head matches on the ATP Tour.
“I tried to adapt my game to the conditions on the court. At the beginning I struggled a little bit with my returns. I had to find my solutions, but once I did, I started to play better and better, and he struggled a little bit more than me. Since I started playing tennis, I have watched his matches. He is still my idol. He has been a really important person for my life and my career. He was one of the reasons I wanted to become a professional tennis player”, said Alcaraz.
