Madrid. Defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz ensured he celebrated his 20th birthday on court on Friday by advancing to the semi-finals of the Madrid Open tennis tournament. The Spaniard had to struggle against Karen Khachanov on Wednesday but in the end he was able to beat the Russian 6-4, 7-5. He will face Borna Coric in the semi-finals on his birthday. Seventeenth seed Coric beat Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.
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In the women’s section, top seed Inga Swiatek registered a comfortable 6-0, 6-3 win over Petra Martić. Swiatek will next face Veronika Kudermetova, who reached the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time after a 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 victory over third seed Jessica Pegula. In the other women’s semi-final, second seed Aryna Sabalenka will face ninth seed Maria Sakari.
