Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals even after his 100th Masters win

Carlos Alcaraz, a Murcia native, is taking Rome by storm. The Foro Italico clay is his playground.  The 22-year-old Spaniard just notched his 100th Masters 1000 match, a milestone that’s got fans roaring louder than a Barça crowd at Camp Nou. 

Alcaraz will face Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open Final on May 18, 2025 at 3:00 PM (UTC) at Foro Italiano. This is their first ever Masters 1000 final, and Sinner has just come off a win streak of 24 matches. 

Alcaraz is 3-2 ahead of Sinner in their head-tohead this year. However, the home crowd and ranking at Sinner’s top add some spice.  Alcaraz, who has a bandage on his right leg and a nasal strip that suggests fatigue, told VAVEL that he loves the passion of Italian fans. He compared their energy to Spanish football crowds. 

Latest victory for the Spanish hero

He reached his first Rome Final after a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti at the Italian Open Semifinals on Friday. 

Alcaraz, despite the slippery court caused by the rain, was the second fastest to reach 100 Masters victories, behind only John McEnroe. 

Masterclasses are not a stroll in a park

Many sports experts in the media called it a “masterclass” and they weren’t wrong. It was no walk in the park on the Costa del Sol. The rain delays disrupted the rhythm and Alcaraz made 14 unforced mistakes in the first game, his forehand wobbling as if it were a faulty tapas dish. 

Musetti, supported by a roaring crowd at home, broke early in second set, with his one-handed, backhand cutting through the damp atmosphere. Sport notes Alcaraz’s serve faltered, with only 62 per cent first serves landing, but his heart—tattooed with his grandad’s “head, heart, courage” mantra—kept him in it. 

He fought back to level the score at 4-4 and then dominated tiebreak. The match was sealed with a screaming backhand winner. The Guardian noted that he had 21 wins to Musetti’s 17 as proof of his ability to turn chaos into magic.

Juan Carlos Ferrero kept him focused and steady throughout the rain-soaked race. The final offers him the chance to tie legends with a seventh Masters 1000 title. Alcaraz has proven he is the next tennis king. Roland Garros will soon be around the corner.

Close to Rafael Nadal’s record

This win, his 77th in Masters 1000s, caps a stellar clay run—13 wins in his last 14 matches. It is his 11th Masters Semifinal and he now has a 6-1 record in those finals. Only Rafael Nadal beats that before 22. 

Posts on X are buzzing about his reclaiming of world No. He is now the world’s No. 2, surpassing Alexander Zverev and ensuring that he will be the second seed for Roland Garros. 

For him, this means that he will not face Jannik Sinner until the final. This is a huge boost for the French Open champion. 

Sports commentators referred to his 2024 Roland Garros championship, in which he beat out Sinner and Zverev and Rome’s dress-rehearsal.