In a Thrilling Match at the Madrid Open, Defending Champion Carlos Alcaraz Survives a Scare
Alcaraz Prevails in Intense Three-Set Battle
In a thrilling match at the Madrid Open, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare against German 23rd seed Jan-Lennard Struff. The world number three Spaniard was forced to a deciding set tie-break after missing out on four match points at 5-3. However, Alcaraz prevailed in front of a home crowd, wrapping up a 6-3 6-7(5-7) 7-6(7-4) victory after nearly three hours of intense play.
“Alcaraz, who has won the last two editions of the Madrid Open, is now on a 14-match winning streak in the Spanish capital.”
He will face Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals, after Rublev defeated Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor earlier on Tuesday.
Sinner and Medvedev Also Advance
Meanwhile, Italian top seed Jannik Sinner remains on course for his fourth title of 2024 after beating Karen Khachanov 5-7 6-3 6-3. The Australian Open champion reacted well to dropping his first set of the tournament, setting up a last-eight meeting with Norway’s in-form Casper Ruud or Auger-Aliassime.
Elsewhere, world number four Daniil Medvedev of Russia defeated Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik 7-6(7-3) 6-4, reaching the quarter-finals of all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. Medvedev will face either five-time winner Rafael Nadal or Jiri Lehecka next.
Zverev Suffers Surprise Defeat
In a surprising result, German fourth seed and 2021 champion Alexander Zverev fell to a 6-3 6-4 defeat against Argentine 11th seed Francisco Cerundolo. Cerundolo will play America’s Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, after the 12th seed saw off Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in straight sets.
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