Madrid Open 2022: 3 things which stood out in Carlos Alcaraz' win over Rafael Nadal

Seventh seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain beat compatriot and third seed Rafael Nadal 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to enter the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Friday. It was the 19-year old's first ever win over Nadal in three attempts.

Alcaraz will face top seed Novak Djokovic in the semifinals on Saturday.

On that note, let’s take a look at the three factors that stood out in the match.

#1 Carlos Alcaraz produced a near-perfect performance in the first set

Carlos Alcaraz started the match in great fashion by breaking Rafael Nadal in the very first game. However, Nadal broke back only to be broken again in the third game. Alcaraz then held his serve to race to a 3-1 lead.

The 19-year-old broke Rafael Nadal again in the seventh game to go 5-2 up before serving out the first set. He punished almost every short ball that Nadal fed him by hitting them for outright winners. Alcaraz also played some brilliant drop shots in the first set to earn some free points.

Nadal also failed to hit his crosscourt backhand with an angle deep enough, as Alcaraz pre-empted that shot and kept shifting a step or two to his left while the shot was being played. As a result, Nadal could hit only 2 winners in the first set against Alcaraz’s 19. It was undoubtedly one of the finest performances that any player has produced so far this year in a single set of tennis.

#2 Carlos Alcaraz sustained a minor injury in the second set as Rafael Nadal fought back strongly

Nadal managed to hold in his first two service games in the second set. Alcaraz sprained his ankle with the score at 2-1 and seemingly lost focus. Nadal used the opportunity to stage a comeback and break Alcaraz in the fourth game to go 3-1 up.

It was an emphatic response from the five-time champion and the momentum seemed to have swung in his favor.

Right from the beginning of the second set, Nadal started playing his shots, including his returns, deep to stop the supply of short balls to Alcaraz. The tactic paid off as Alcaraz struggled to hit through the older Spaniard and began to spray errors.

#3 Carlos Alcaraz proved his mettle by winning the final set as Rafael Nadal struggled to hit winners

Rafael Nadal struggled to hit winners off his usually imperious forehand today

Alcaraz bounced back strongly in the deciding set and got a decisive break in the fourth game. He then held his serve for the remainder of the set to register a memorable win.

Alcaraz did commit a few unforced errors while trying to dictate terms with his groundstrokes. However, Nadal responded very meekly and was unable to take advantage of Alcaraz’s lapses.

Nadal’s usually imperious forehand was nowhere near its best. Aside from failing to find the proper angle with his crosscourt forehand, Nadal also failed to hit his down-the-line shots with enough venom. In contrast, Alcaraz often succeeded in pushing Nadal into the far corner with his backhand before ending the point with a devastating down-the-line winner.

Nadal finished with only 10 winners, which was among the fewest he has ever registered in a three-set match. Alcaraz, on the other hand, hit 37 winners in the match.