TennisSection previews the 2022 Miami Open as Hubert Hurkacz takes on Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal on Friday, April 1st, 2022.
Reigning Miami Open champion Hubert Hurkacz kept his dream of clinching back-to-back titles in Florida alive. But he has another battle in his hands when he takes on the ATP’s breakout star in Carlos Alcaraz. Who will reach Sunday’s final?
When Hurbert Hurkacz won the Miami Open last year, not many people had seen it coming, not even the man himself. Fast forward 2022, and the Pole has embarked on yet another title run in south Florida. He stands two wins away from capturing back-to-back titles in these parts and become the first man since 2016 to achieve that feat. Hurkacz has already claimed the biggest scalp of them all when he defeated the top seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6 6-3 in just over two hours in the quarterfinals. He produced one of the finest displays of his topsy-turvy 2022 season and consequently denied the Russian the chance to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.
But for anyone who has followed the tennis during the North American hard-court swing, Medvedev has not been the best player in that span. That mantle can easily be claimed by Carlos Alcaraz – the Spanish teenage sensation who has reached consecutive semifinals in Indian Wells and the Miami Open. The 18-year-old continues to surprise and terrorize his opponents on the tennis court with incredible footwork, technique and immaculate precision – something that is not always associated to an upstart in tennis. But Alcaraz is special and he proved that in a fiercely contested quarterfinal against Miomir Kecmanovic when he triumphed in a final set tiebreak.
Hubert Hurkacz and Carlos Alcaraz have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Friday’s match at the Miami Open will be their first official meeting. Hurkacz has done fantastically well to turn his season around after a subpar Australian Open. Alcaraz, meanwhile, has been a breath of fresh air in this early part of the season. I think we have seen a crop of youngsters emerge as undercards but without an end product. But this guy is the real deal. He has all the attributes that will make him a top, top player and he is already doing that at 18. Against any other player this week, I would have taken Hurkacz, but seeing the kind of intensity that the young Spaniard brings, I have to side with Alcaraz.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz in 3 sets.
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