Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his first career win against childhood idol Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals in Madrid

Idol against fan, veteran against shooting star – the third duel between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz was eagerly awaited in the Spanish capital.

Nadal had won the two previous games, last year on the spot in the Caja Magica and this season in Indian Wells.

Alcaraz, who repeatedly emphasized that Nadal was his childhood idol, is the man of the hour on the ATP Tour.

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Match point drama with a happy ending – Nadal prevents the round of 16 knockout

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The now 19-year-old has already won three tournaments this year in Rio de Janeiro, Miami and Barcelona and also made it into the top ten in the world.

With the success against Nadal he celebrated another milestone in his young career. “All the hard work I do every day paid off today. Beating Rafa, the best player in history on clay, means a lot to me,” said Alcaraz after the coup.

Alcaraz gains advantages and buckles

The match started surprisingly, the first three service games all ended in breaks – with advantages for Alcaraz, who fought for a 3-1 lead. Even more: The challenger of the record Grand Slam champion kept the pressure on and marched to the set lead with a score of 3: 2 with three games in a row.

As a result, the number nine in the world was not quite able to maintain the level, and he twisted his ankle in a fall. As a result, Alcaraz was treated on his right ankle and the thumb of his right hand was also damaged. The result: The teenager could no longer counter, which Nadal used immediately and pulled away 3-1.

Nadal: “Then Alcaraz is practically unstoppable”

In the fifth game, the quarter-finals had to be interrupted for a few minutes due to a medical emergency in the stands. Nothing changed in the situation on the court. Nadal cruised confidently to equalize the set, in which he scored 20 of the last 22 points for himself.

But Alcaraz came back – and how: The top talent had recovered during the break and grabbed the break in the fourth game to make it 3-1. An advantage that the young man from El Palmar in south-eastern Spain could not resist.

After two hours and 28 minutes of play, Alcaraz converted his first match point, making him the youngest semi-finalist in tournament history – and the first professional to beat Nadal on clay at the age of 19.

“He was better than me in different areas of the game,” admitted Nadal unenviously. “Carlos can definitely win. I don’t see any reason why not. Carlos plays with a lot of vigor and when his adrenaline levels rise he’s practically unstoppable.”