Alcaraz controlled the second tie-break with the help of some untimely Hurkacz errors after erasing two break points at 5-all.
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Carlos Alcaraz ended defending champion Hubert Hurkacz’s 10-match winning streak to reach the final of the Miami Open on Friday evening. With his 7-6(5), 7-6(2) win, the Spaniard has advanced to the biggest final of his young career, surpassing his semi-final performance at Indian Wells two weeks ago. Alcaraz was down 3/5 in the tie-break in the first set, but he repeated his heroics from Thursday’s quarter-final win over Miomir Kecmanovic by winning four straight points to seal the victory.
“I have a lot of emotions right now. It’s something that you dream of when you are a child,” said Alcaraz, who is one win away from becoming the youngest champion. “It’s really good to be in the final here in Miami. I love playing here. The crowd is amazing. I’m going to approach the final like a first round, trying to mask the nerves. I’m going to enjoy it, it’s going to be a great final.”
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Alcaraz controlled the second tie-break with the help of some untimely Hurkacz errors after erasing two break points at 5-all in the second set, bringing his tournament total to 15 of 17 break points saved. At 5/2, a drop shot forced a volley into the net, and a dipping pass attempt forced a volley into the net to end the match.
“I couldn’t return his serves, but I knew that the match was going to be long sets like it was, 7-6, 7-6,” said Alcaraz. “At the beginning, I saw that I couldn’t return. I thought we were going to play a lot of tie-breaks. A little bit different [than my previous matches] with his serve, but it’s a great win for me.”
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Alcaraz moves up to third place in the ATP Race to Turin after reaching the final, with a chance to move up to second if he wins. The World No. 16 improves to 6-6 against the Top 10 after winning the first set in each of his six victories and losing the first set in each of his six losses.
