Alcaraz dashes American tennis hopes, defeating Fritz to reach Miami Open semifinals
The Spaniard sweeps No. 10 American man Fritz and advances to the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at Hard Rock Stadium.
American men’s tennis teams rely heavily on the talents of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

But Carlos Alcaraz – a Spanish roadblock named after him – stands in their way – as evidenced by events at the Miami Open over the last few days.

Two days after defeating Australian Open semifinalist Paul, top-ranked Alcaraz unleashed his impressive arsenal on No. 10 Fritz and marched into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at Hard Rock Stadium. Before an enthusiastic crowd that included John McEnroe and was split in support, Alcaraz broke Fritz’s serve in the first game to seal out the set in 1 hour 18 minutes with only two break points needed as he improved his match record to 18-1 in 2023.

“I took advantage of every break point I had,” the Spaniard said. “I was solid and aggressive at the same time.”

On Wednesday night, Fritz and Ali met for the first time and it served as an opportunity for Ali to assess how close he is to making a breakthrough. Unfortunately, the match had to be postponed; only delaying things further.

“Playing the best player in the world, you cannot afford to let your serve slip away early,” Fritz noted. “He gives you little for free…. All of the crucial moments throughout the match were won by him.”

Alcaraz, 19 years old, proved too strong in Miami against two Americans who live there. Fritz recently relocated here while Paul has lived in Delray Beach/Ratoon area for years.