BEIJING, China, October 2 ------ Carlos Alcaraz sent Daniil Medvedev packing to reach his first China Open final on Tuesday as 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai added another chapter to her fairytale renaissance. Second seed Alcaraz was in fine form to win 7-5, 6-3 and faces world number one Jannik Sinner or Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete for the men's crown in Beijing.
Medvedev, the Russian third seed, was looking to emulate his run to last year's title-decider, where he was beaten by the Italian Sinner. But he showed signs of frustration at times against 21-year-old Alcaraz and twice required treatment on his left leg in the second set. "I think I played really well. Obviously if I want to beat Daniil, I have to play really good tennis, high-quality tennis," said four-time major champion Alcaraz, who is yet to drop a set. "I felt great on the court once again, so I'm really happy about it. I think I couldn't ask for a better semi-final."
After some high-quality tennis, the two players exchanged warm words over the net at the end. Medvedev said he joked he should dress up as Botic van de Zandschulp, the unheralded Dutchman who stunned Alcaraz in the second round of the recent US Open. "Maybe this can help," Medvedev told reporters. "Today I played pretty well. I don't see how I could beat him today." Alcaraz is looking to seal his 16th ATP Tour crown when the final takes place on Wednesday.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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