An emotional Carlos Alcaraz ended Hubert Hurkacz’s 10 match winning streak in Miami 7-6(5) 7-6(2) to reach his maiden masters 1000 final.
The Spaniard sealed a tight straight sets victory over the defending champion to reach his first masters 1000 final of his career.
In a tight match, where there were no breaks of serve, Alcaraz won the key points to seal a dream week in Florida and reach the final.
After the match Alcaraz admitted the emotions were high in reaching a historic moment in his career, “I have a lot of emotions right now. It’s something that you dream of when you are a child,” Alcaraz told the ATP website.
“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.
“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.”
Alcaraz is now third in the race to Turin only behind Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev although the 18 year-old can overtake Medvedev with a title.
The Spaniard is also guaranteed to climb up to number 12 in the world and could go to number 11 with a title, something that would be key for the Spaniard heading into the clay court season.
Alcaraz is the second youngest finalist in Miami Open history as he takes on Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final.
Both players are looking to take home their first masters 1000 title of their careers.
Ruud defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-4 6-1 in the other semi-final and after the match the Norwegian admitted he didn’t expect to reach his first masters 1000 final on hard courts, “It was not where I imagine myself playing my first Masters 1000 final [on a hard court], but I will take it,” Ruud told the ATP website.
“It is a great feeling and I am enjoying the city and the tournament. It was pretty brutal today. Very humid, which made the breathing a little tough.”
The final will take place at 6pm BST on Sunday with Alcaraz leading 1-0.
