Alcaraz continues slaying giants

Rafael Nadal one day. Novak Djokovic the other. The list of victims of Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz keeps growing. And so does the hype over tennis’ newest sensation. After defeating his idol Nadal in the quarterfinals on Friday, the 19-year-old Alcaraz rallied to beat top-ranked Djokovic 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) after more than 3 ½ hours on Saturday to reach the Madrid Open final. “It was one of those matches to enjoy,” Alcaraz said. “Despite the tension, despite being the semifinals of a Masters 1000, being 7-6 in the third-set tiebreaker... I’ve enjoyed it. Until the last point I was being able to smile.” Alcaraz converted on his third match point to clinch the victory — his 27th of the year — in front of a raucous home crowd on the Caja Mágica center court. A win on Sunday will give Alcaraz his fourth title this season, the most of any player. Alcaraz, the youngest player in the top 10 since Nadal in 2005, has won this year in Miami, Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. He beat Nadal for the first time on Friday, and triumphed against Djokovic in their first match. Djokovic remains without a title this season.