Alcaraz, semifinal against Ruud today in Paris: “I will remember it for a long time. This is a game and you have to have fun and have fun”

Carlos Alcaraz He had a pending account with the Masters 1000 ATP in Paris, where he had cried on his debut at the age of 18 because of a hostile crowd in his match against the Frenchman. Hugo Gaston. He paid off part of that debt with his heroic comeback against the American Taylor Fritzcoming back from two match balls, also because it attracted the fans.

The Spaniard, 23 years old and world No. 3, connected with a very special crowd in his tastes and decisions, especially if there is one of his local players on the court. It was not the case, but it was the Murcian who connected with the stands with his ‘points’ and his refusal to be beaten by Fritz, even though he was on the verge of being knocked out.

“Yes, I saw myself defeated. I saw myself lost, but I also saw that I could come back, because we were scoring impressive points,” analyzed Alcaraz, who emerged stronger from the situation, achieving a victory that means a lot to him.

“It will be one of the most special games; I will remember it for a long time,” he stressed, because it was not only the result, but also its essence. “At the end of the day this is nothing more than a game. Win or lose, it’s a game; it’s about having fun and entertaining the crowd. That’s what I’m going to try in any given game.”

Also today, Saturday, in their first semifinals in this tournament, indoors and on a very fast surface by the usual standards of the circuit. He will play, no earlier than 5 in the afternoon, against a rival who went to bed very early in the morning.

The Norwegian Casper Ruud27 years old and world No. 23, closed the quarterfinal day beating the Portuguese Nuno Borgesat one o’clock on Saturday. He will start at a disadvantage with Alcaraz in that sense.

The Murcian wants to “enjoy every second, every point.” Smile. In his day he fought with Casper Ruud for the US Open 2022 and world No. 1, also what was his first ATP Masters 1000, Miami 2022. He usually wins, he has done so five out of six times with the Scandinavian, with the most recent precedent being the round of 16 Indian Wells with Alcaraz dominating 6-1 and 7-6 (2).

The day will begin, no earlier than 2:30 p.m., with the first semifinal, between the American Ben Shelton and the french Luca Van Assche.

The tournament will have a new champion. Carlos Alcaraz fighting to be the second Spaniard to enter the history of the tournament, which he won in 2012 David Ferrerwho later lost the 2023 final. Rafa Nadal He was a finalist in 2007, the same status as Sergio Casal in 1986 and Andrés Gimeno in 1972.

The defender of the crown, the Italian Jannik Sinner, did not attend due to a knee injury. Former winners such as Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov.