Rome, May 16 -- Young Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz made it to the final of the ongoing Italian Open, defeating home favourite Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinal at Rome on Friday.

Alcaraz defeated Musetti by 6-3, 7-6(4) in testing conditions during the ATP Masters 1000 event. He overcame a mid-match rise in form from his opponent and a hostile Italian crowd to march into his 25th tour-level final at 22 years of age.

After the match, Alcaraz said, as quoted by ATP's official website, "Today was a really difficult day with the conditions, the wind was tough to play with. It was not about playing brilliant, spectacular tennis. It was about playing smart tennis, playing solid, going to the point when you can, and waiting for the chance to...