February 8, Rotterdam After advancing to his first ATP Tour semifinal of the year, Carlos Alcaraz referred to his most recent effort at the Rotterdam Open as a “perfect match.” With his 12th straight victory over a fellow Spaniard, the Spaniard thrashed Pedro Martinez 6-2, 6-1 on Friday, further solidifying his supremacy over fellow countrymen.

“Today, I played tennis at a fairly high level and did extremely well. And I’ve done the right thing once again,” Alcaraz said after the game. “Prior to the match, I was totally concentrated on my belongings and my own tennis. Today, I made an effort to include everything. being combative and always pushing him to the edge. I believe I made the ideal match, and I’m content to keep getting better every day. I want to improve even more in the semi-finals.

In his Rotterdam debut, Alcaraz, 21, defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in three sets without displaying any symptoms of weariness. He then easily defeated Andrea Vavassori in the second round and was just as dominating against Martinez, ending their 71-minute bout in a clinical manner. In the opening set, the top seed had 17 wins and never had to face a break point.

Following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal (2009), Pablo Carreno Busta (2020), and his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero (2004), the Spaniard has now joined a select club of his compatriots to make it to the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam. In his 33rd tour-level semifinal, Alcaraz will take against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in an attempt to win his first championship since Beijing in October.

The 27-year-old Martinez was attempting to reach his first tour-level semifinal but found it difficult to match Alcaraz’s strength. The Spaniard’s impressive performance in Rotterdam, which included victories against Holger Rune and Roberto Bautista Agut, propelled him to No. 40 in the ATP Live Rankings despite his elimination.

In the day’s penultimate match, Hurkacz defeated 2021 Rotterdam champion Andrey Rublev 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 to secure his spot in the round of four. The eighth seed improved his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Rublev to 4-2, winning in two hours and 27 minutes with 17 aces. The victory also guarantees Hurkacz’s return to the PIF ATP Rankings’ Top 20, where he had momentarily dropped for the first time since April 2021.

Hurkacz, who is playing in his first tour-level semifinal since Halle in June and his 21st overall, is now aiming for his eighth ATP Tour victory. Hurkacz and Alcaraz are both playing at their best right now, so their matchup in the semi-final at the Ahoy Arena should be exciting.