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World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz has thanked NBA legend Jimmy Butler for attending his semifinal match of the Argentina Open against compatriot Bernabe Zapata on Saturday, February 18.
On Saturday, Alcaraz cruised past Zapata in the semifinal match with a score of 6-2, 6-2. He will now face British player Cameron Norrie in the final on Sunday. This marks the first final the Spaniard has reached this year after he was forced to bow out of the Australian Open after an injury to his right leg.
During the semifinal clash, NBA legend and Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler was in attendance and took to his Instagram story to share a photo of Alcaraz after his win. Alcaraz thanked Butler for attending his match and also shared a light-hearted off-court image with Butler.
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"Thanks for coming" Alcaraz posted in his story.
The 19-year-old was World No. 1 going into this year but lost the top spot to Novak Djokovic after missing the Australian Open due to his injury.
"Good luck this season" - Carlos Alcaraz to Bernabe Zapata after reaching his first final of 2023
Spanish teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz had a breakthrough last year, winning five titles on the ATP tour and won his first Grand Slam title -- the US Open -- by defeating Norway's Casper Ruud. He also clinched the World No. 1 ranking and was in the top spot for 16 weeks.
However, due to an injury to his right leg, Alcaraz was unable to compete in the beginning of this year. The Qatar Total Energies Open is the first tournament back, and has managed to reach the final of the ATP 500 tournament.
Alcaraz ousted countryman Bernabe Zapata in the semifinals to set up the summit clash against Cameron Norrie on Sunday February 19.
The Spaniard wished Zapata well on Twitter for the upcoming tennis season and shared an image of the pair embracing each other after the match.
"Good luck this season" Alcaraz captioned the tweet.
The 19-year-old also shared his excitement for reaching the final after being away from the tour for almost a hundred days due to his injury.
"After more than 100 days without playing, returning to a final means EVERYTHING, ! Let's go for more tomorrow! @ArgentinaOpen" he tweeted
This is the fifth time Alcaraz and Norrie will face off with each other, with Alcaraz leading the head-to-head 3-1.
