Alcaraz honours Spanish tradition with Rome final

Carlos Alcaraz shattered Italian dreams but kept the flame burning for Spain in Italy as he powered past Lorenzo Musetti on Friday 6-3, 7-6 (4) to reach the final of the Rome Masters.

The third seed is still looking for his first title at the Foro Italico and will get his chance on Sunday against either world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or outsider Tommy Paul.

Alcaraz became the 13th Spaniard to play a Rome final in the post-1968 Open era. The Iberian trophy standard was set by Rafael Nadal who won the event here 10 times from 2005-2021.

The match with crowd favourite Musetti was played in challenging conditions, with Alcaraz coming through after two hours on his second match point – an inside-out forehand stinger to the corner.

“It was a really difficult day with the conditions,” the winner said after completing his 100th match at the Masters  1000 level

“It was tough to play in the wind. It was not about brilliant or spectacular tennis, it was about smart tennis.

“I had to play solid and wait for my chances to play aggressive. I did that pretty well. I stayed strong mentally when things did not go to my side.

“I made the most of my opportunities – I’m happy with everything today.”

Alcaraz tied Swedish legend Stefan Edberg for the second-most wins in their first 100 Masters matches.

The 22-year-old owns six Masters titles and 77 victories.

Alcaraz lifted his record over Musetti – whom he also defeated last month in Monte Carlo – to 5-1.

The Spanish winner gave the local crowd credit for fair play. “They were supporting Lorenzo but they were respectful.

Main photo:-Carlos Alcaraz winning in Rome today – by ATPTour.com