Madrid 2023: Carlos Alcaraz vs Borna Coric preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | Mutua Madrid Open

Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (17) Borna Coric.

Date: May 5, 2023.

Tournament: Madrid Masters 2023.

Round: Semifinal.

Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain.

Category: ATP Masters 1000.

Surface: Outdoor clay.

Prize money: €7,705,780.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Borna Coric preview

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Madrid Open.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will square off against World No. 20 Borna Coric in the semifinals of the 2023 Madrid Open on Friday.

Alcaraz scored wins over Emil Ruusuvuori, Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev to make the last eight, where Karen Khachanov awaited him. The Spaniard secured a break of serve in the seventh game of the first set to go 4-3 up.

Alcaraz then saved a break point for a service hold in the following game to make it 5-3. He had a set point on Khachanov's serve in the next game, but wasn't able to close it out. The World No. 2 served out the set himself after that to clinch the opener.

Khachanov started the second set on a strong note as he jumped to a 4-1 lead. He even held a couple of break points to go 5-1 up, but Alcaraz managed to hold serve to make it 4-2. The Russian's next service game was a tough one, but he managed to stay strong to extend his lead to 5-2.

Alcaraz then raised his level as he reeled off the next five games to win the match 6-4, 7-5. It marked his ninth consecutive victory in Madrid and is just a couple of wins away from a successful title defense.

Coric, meanwhile, knocked out Hugo Gaston, Hubert Hurkacz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to make the last eight in Madrid for the first time since 2017. He was up against lucky loser Daniel Altmaier in the quarterfinals.

Coric drew first blood in the opening set as he claimed a break of serve to go 3-1 up. He held on to the lead quite comfortably until the end of the set to claim it. The 26-year-old started the second set by breaking the German's serve in the very first game.

Coric followed it up with a hold of serve to make it 2-0. Altmaier was unable to offer any sort of meaningful resistance and played second fiddle throughout the match. The Croat broke his opponent's serve one last time to win the match 6-3, 6-3 and reach his fourth semifinal at the Masters 1000 level.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Borna Coric head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Borna Coric odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Sets
Carlos Alcaraz	-1600	+1.5 (-400)	2 sets (-500)
Borna Coric	+825	-1.5 (+260)	3 sets (+310)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Borna Coric prediction

Borna Coric at the 2023 Madrid Open.

Borna Coric arrived in Madrid on a five-match losing streak, but has finally rediscovered his form in the Spanish capital. He played his best match of the tournament to oust Daniel Altmaier in the quarterfinals. The Croat won 90% of his first serve points and didn't face a single break point either.

Carlos Alcaraz looked to be in trouble against Karen Khachanov in the previous round but turned things around in the blink of an eye to come out on top. The highlight of the match was the teenager's impeccable defense, managing to retrieve the most difficult of shots to keep the points going.

Alcaraz has also found considerable success by employing drop shots fairly often. Coric will be on guard against that particular tactic, but the Spaniard's soft touch and disguise on the shot makes it tough to do so.

With Coric playing a lot better than before, Alcaraz could be tested in this encounter. However, the World No. 2 should be able to overcome him and make it to the final in the end.

Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.