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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 28, 2022

 
Carlos Alcaraz

World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and rapidly rising Holger Rune continued to roll in Basel.

Photo Source: Getty

The last time two teenagers reached the semifinals at Basel was 22 years ago, in 2000, when Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt clashed for a spot in the final.

Tennis Express

22 years later it is time for Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune to shine. Both advanced on Friday, with Alcaraz knocking off his good friend Pablo Carreno Busta, while Rune dismissed Arthur Rinderknech.

World No.1 Alcaraz will face red-hot Felix Auger-Aliassime, the third seed, in the semis on Saturday; Rune, ranked 25, will face Roberto Bautista Agut, the No.6 seed.

All eyes will be on the youthful pair – Basel, in its 51-year history, has never seen two teenagers compete on the final Sunday.

With the impressive form of both, it would be hard to bet against this year.

Rune, who has claimed titles at Munich and Stockholm this year as he has risen from outside the top-100 to his current perch, said the key to his winning is staying within himself.

“I think I stay very composed when I'm on the court, super focused every time, even though it's always tough battles against Rinderknech,” he said, referring to his 7-6,6-2 triumph . “So I really had to stay composed today and I've done that the last month, taking my chances, trying to be aggressive – that's it.”

The Dane ticked off another milestone on Friday as he reached his first 500-level semifinal. It was his fifth of 2022, overall.
“It's an amazing feeling,” he said. “It's the first time I am making the semi finals of ATP 500. So it's feeling great, it’s a step on the way and it's always nice to see that you're going forward and it's [moving] in the right direction. I'm super proud and excited to keep going.

He’ll face the oldest man remaining in the draw on Saturday, and knows he’ll be in for a battle against the gritty Bautista Agut, the former World No.9 who battled past Stan Wawrinka in straight sets on Friday.

“He's another very experienced player,” Rune said. “He's been playing probably [longer] than I've been alive. I saw a little bit of his match today. He's super solid. Has a great forehand, so I really have to be ready. I know he's playing very solid, making very few mistakes, so I have to be ready.”

Alcaraz will have his hands full as well. After his 6-3, 6-4 victory over Carreno Busta, he turns his attention to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, the man who has reeled off 11 consecutive victories on tour, including titles at Florence and Antwerp.

Auger-Aliassime ripped past Alexander Bublik, 6-2, 6-3, on Friday.

The World No.1 has lost both of his previous encounters with the 22-year-old Canadian, the first via retirement at the US Open in 2021, the latter in three sets at Davis Cup last month.

“I know he's gonna be a really tough match,” Alcaraz said. “He's playing really well. He had great victories this year. Of course, at the end of the year as well. I have to be really focused to learn from my mistakes in the past matches and, yes, I will try to show my best tennis against him, 100 percent. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's match.”

Alcaraz improved to 55-11 on the season with his win over the No.5-seeded Spaniard today. The breakout star of the tour in 2022 has five titles to his name, including the US Open, where he became the youngest champion in Flushing Meadows since Pete Sampras in 1990.

The next day he became the youngest No.1 in ATP history.

In a year defined by teenagers on the ATP Tour, it’s only fitting that Alcaraz and Rune could play the first all-teenage final in Basel history. If it happens it would mark the first meeting between teenagers in an ATP final since Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych played for the Bastad title in 2005.

 

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