INDIAN WELLS — The swirling winds were blowing itchy grains of sand into Rafael Nadal’s eyes. The kid across the net was half his age and was returning everything. The furrows in Nadal’s forehead were getting ever deeper.
When Carlos Alcaraz uncorked a topspin lob to end a 19-minute 52-second game and break Nadal’s serve late in the second set of their semifinal on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, it appeared time might be running out on Nadal’s winning streak and his chance of reaching the final on Sunday. He had come this far on a chronically sore foot. There would have been no shame if he had lost to Alcaraz, who at 18 is Nadal’s heir apparent as Spain’s No. 1 player and one of the most dynamic talents in the game.
Against someone with weaker will and a lesser championship pedigree than 21-time Grand Slam singles champion Nadal has built, Alcaraz might have made the leap on Saturday from child prodigy to Indian Wells finalist. Against someone else, Alcaraz’s young legs, long reach and uncanny creativity probably would have been enough to prevail. Not against Nadal, whose wisdom, experience and sharp volleys carried him to an entertaining 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory that played out over 3 hours 13 minutes and extended his start this year to 20-0.
