Carlos Alcaraz is on the brink of becoming only the second man to secure Olympic gold, along with the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in a single season. On Friday, he overpowered Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime with a 6-1, 6-1 victory to advance to the final at the Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old from Spain showcased one of his season’s finest performances on Court Philippe Chatrier, the same venue where he claimed the Roland Garros title two months prior, setting a record as the youngest player to enter the men’s singles gold medal match since tennis made its Olympic return in Seoul, 1988.
Should Alcaraz win the gold, he will stand alongside compatriot Rafael Nadal (2008) as the second man to achieve the Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and Olympic singles gold trifecta within the same year.
Alcaraz demonstrated a high-calibre performance, skillfully targeting Auger-Aliassime’s feet on the return and manoeuvring the Canadian across the court with sharp drop shots and powerful groundstrokes. The second seed sailed to victory in 75 minutes without facing a break point, extending his winning streak to 12 matches following his Wimbledon victory on grass last month.
Making his Olympic debut, Alcaraz is the fourth Spaniard to reach the singles final since 1988, following Jordi Arrese (1992), Sergi Bruguera (1996), and Nadal (2008). A win against either Serbian Novak Djokovic or Italian Lorenzo Musetti in Sunday’s final would make him the second Spaniard to clinch the gold medal, joining Nadal. In the doubles event in Paris, Nadal and Alcaraz were defeated by the American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
Throughout his semi-final bout with Auger-Aliassime, Alcaraz remained intensely focused, frequently smiling and gesturing triumphantly towards his team, which included Spain’s captain David Ferrer. After securing his win, he celebrated with raised arms before sharing a respectful embrace with the Canadian at the net, marking his 38th tour-level victory this year.
Auger-Aliassime initially led their head-to-head with three wins but has since succumbed to four consecutive defeats to Alcaraz, who now leads their series.
