Preview Queen's Club Championships Final - Alcaraz seeks first grass court title against De Minaur

Carlos Alcaraz is through to his first grass-court final at Queen's against Spanish-born Australian Alex de Minaur (14:30 CET). With a convincing straight-sets win (6-3, 6-4) over Sebastian Korda in the semi-finals, the 20-year-old is just one step away from making history at Queen's Club in London.

If he can beat Alex de Minaur in Sunday's final, Alcaraz will not only win the tournament title, but also reclaim the coveted top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from Novak Djokovic and secure the No. 1 ranking at Wimbledon. This will be his 14th tournament-level final and the young Spaniard will be seeking his 11th title.

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It is amazing to hear Alcaraz state that he feels like he has been playing on grass for 10 years, considering this is only his third tournament on this surface: "Right now I feel like I've been playing on grass for 10 years, it's something crazy for me. I didn't expect to adapt my movement, my game so fast on grass. I'm really happy with that.

He arrived in London with a record of four wins and two losses on grass courts, but his quick and effective adaptation to playing on this surface has been exceptional. Alcaraz has improved his record to 27 wins and only 1 loss against players outside the Top 20 this season and has reached at least the semi-finals in eight of the nine tournaments he has entered this year.

In his battle against Korda, Alcaraz showed an unwavering mentality and relentless aggression. She won the first set after an intense exchange of breaks of serve, taking advantage of her only break opportunity in the second set to close out the match. In addition, Korda's six double faults and slice weakness were masterfully exploited by Alcaraz, who ran around the ball to hit ferocious forehand winners at every opportunity.

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With his victory, Alcaraz advances to the final to face Alex de Minaur, who overcame Holger Rune in the semi-finals 6-3, 7-6(2). The only previous meeting between Alcaraz and De Minaur on the ATP circuit took place in the semi-finals of Barcelona last year, in a thrilling encounter that lasted three hours and forty minutes. In that match, Alcaraz saved a couple of match points on his way to a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 victory to be crowned champion on home soil.

Alcaraz recognises that the final will be a big challenge, highlighting De Minaur's skills on grass, especially his flat serve. However, the young Spaniard is concentrating on himself and his own game, looking to impose his style on the court. His focus will be on enjoying the moment, the support of the crowd and seeing what happens in the final.

Should he claim victory, De Minaur also has a lot at stake, as he could reach his highest ever ranking in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at No. 14. On the other hand, Korda, despite his semi-final defeat, will see a significant rise in the rankings, reaching No. 25 in the world next Monday.

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The final between Alcaraz and De Minaur promises to be a clash full of excitement and quality tennis. Both players will be looking to leave it all out on the court to take the title at the prestigious Queen's Tournament. The final result remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: the tennis world will be watching this final full of young talent and passion for the game.

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Carlos Alcaraz y el tenis 🎾 como arte.

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