“I played really good tennis today, a really high level,” Alcaraz said on court.
“I was really focused before the match, on my things, on my own tennis. I tried to put everything in today: being aggressive, pushing him to the limit every point. I think I did the perfect match and I am happy to keep improving every day. Hopefully in the semi-finals I will be even better.”
The 21-year-old has already won 16 ATP titles—including four Grand Slam trophies—but the former world No. 1 is looking to make his first final of the season after falling in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open.
It was in Melbourne that Alcaraz was thwarted in his bid to become the youngest man to capture the Career Grand Slam, having already captured titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Shaking off a last-eight lost to Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz is hoping to win his first title since last fall, when he won the China Open in Beijing over Jannik Sinner.
But first, Alcaraz will have to get past Hurkacz, who is into his first semifinal without Iga Swiatek (who paired with him to make the United Cup finals in January) since last June (Halle) after overcoming Rublev in in two hours and 23 minutes. The former world No. 6 has struggled for consistency for much of the last year, but looked to kickstart his career by hiring former Olympic champion Nicolas Massu as his new coach ahead of the 2025 season.
