Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz to feature in 1st all-Spanish semifinal in Indian Wells history

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will feature in the first all-Spanish semifinal in the history of the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday.

The last time two players from Spain contested the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament was in 2014, when Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut clashed in Madrid.

Nadal and Alcaraz have enjoyed very good runs in California so far. Nadal started with a hard-fought win over Sebastian Korda and followed it up with straight-sets wins over Dan Evans and Reilly Opelka. The 21-time Major winner then defeated Nick Kyrgios in a grueling three-setter that lasted two hours and 47 minutes.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals with straight-sets wins over Mackenzie McDonald, Roberto Bautista Agut and Gael Monfils. The 18-year-old then beat defending champion Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-3 to reach his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal and set up a clash with idol Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz is also the youngest Indian Wells semifinalist since Andre Agassi in 1988.

Rafael Nadal's my idol so it's never easy to play against him: Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz said that his match against the 35-year-old will be a great one

Speaking to the press after his win against Cameron Norrie, Alcaraz said he was relishing the prospect of facing his idol in the semifinals.

"Well, it's amazing to play against Rafa," Alcaraz said. "It's my idol since I'm a kid, so it's never easy to play against him, but I think it's going to be a great match. I think it's a great experience for me to meet him in Masters 1000, semifinal, here at Indian Wells, but, yeah, I'm going to have fun out there and enjoy every single second in the match. Yeah, it's a very special experience for me."

The two Spaniards previously met in the second round of the Madrid Masters last year on Alcaraz's 18th birthday. Nadal won the match 6-1, 6-2.

But their upcoming encounter is expected to be a much closer affair given the improvements Alcaraz has made over the past year.

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