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[ad_1] MADRID: Carlos Alcaraz said on Wednesday that his competitive fires burn so intensely that he not only wants to become the world's greatest tennis player, he also plans to reign supreme at marbles. World number two and US Open champion Alcaraz made the Madrid Open semi-finals by beating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 for his 27th win in 29 matches in 2023. "I want to be one of the best tennis players in history," said Alcaraz who turns 20 on Friday when the semi-finals in the Spanish capital take place. "I'm ambitious. I don't want to lose -- even at marbles. I'm not going to get tired of winning, I live from day to day, I love playing tennis so I'm not afraid that I'll get tired of winning because that's not going to happen." Alcaraz has already played 150 ATP Tour matches, winning 117 times. That run has included nine career titles while his 2022 US Open triumph saw him become the sport's youngest ever world number on...

[ad_1] LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz takes on Daniil Medvedev on Friday for a place in the Wimbledon final, where history-chasing Novak Djokovic will likely be lying in wait. The Spanish top seed has looked increasingly impressive in his surge to the last four but nobody is betting against Djokovic, who faces eighth-ranked Jannik Sinner. AFP Sport takes a look at the two semi-finals (x denotes seeding – players representing Russia and Belarus are banned from competing under the name or flag of their countries). Jannik Sinner will not have slept easily after last year's painful Wimbledon quarter-final defeat against Novak Djokovic. The Italian was two sets up and on the brink of a career-defining win before the Serbian gave himself a pep talk during a toilet break. Whatever he said to himself certainly worked – he broke early and never looked back, losing just seven games over the last three sets as he romped to victory. Djokovic is within sight of two seismic records – equ...

[ad_1] LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz stayed on track for a Wimbledon title showdown against defending champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday as Ons Jabeur avenged her painful defeat in last year's final. Spanish world number one Alcaraz was in imperious form as he swept aside his friend Holger Rune 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4 to set up a semi-final against Daniil Medvedev. Alcaraz faced just one break point in the entire quarter-final, which he snuffed out, hitting 35 winners against 13 unforced errors. "Honestly, it is amazing for me," said Alcaraz . "It's been a dream since I started playing tennis." The US Open champion, who now has 10 straight wins on grass, was delighted with his performance against his fellow 20-year-old. "I am playing at a great level. I didn't expect to play a great level on this surface," he said. "For me, it is crazy." He said he found it tough at the beginning of the match, especially with Rune on the other s...