Carlos Alcaraz beats Jan-Lennard Struff to reach Madrid Open quarter-finals tennis news

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz extended his Madrid Open winning streak to a record-equalling 14 with a hard-fought victory over familiar rival Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the quarter-finals on Tuesday. In a rematch of last year’s final at the Caja Mágica, Alcaraz broke Struff’s six-match winning streak with results of 6–3, 6–7 (5/7), 7–6 (7/4) and Reached the last place. -Eighth clash with seventh seed Andrey Rublev. Top seed Jannik Sinner has been battling a hip problem but managed to reach his fourth Masters 1000 quarterfinal in as many events this season by defeating Karen Khachanov 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

Alcaraz, who missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona with an arm injury, saved eight of 10 break points and saw four match points come and go before completing the victory in two hours and 52 minutes.

“How I’ve missed this! Next quarter,” the former world number one wrote on the camera lens after the match.

Alcaraz, who is 24-0 on Spanish clay since the start of the 2022 season, is bidding to become the first player to win three consecutive Madrid titles.

After leading 2–0 in the second set, Alcaraz took a 3–1 lead in the tiebreak, but lost the next five points and handed the set to Struff, who had come into the tournament trailing. First ATP title race in Munich.

A break of serve in the fourth game of the decider gave Alcaraz the score she needed, but the two-time Grand Slam champion was broken while serving for a 40–0 win at 5–3.

Struff saved four match points and the match went to a decisive tiebreak. Alcaraz let a 3-0 lead slip away, but he took more match points with an inch-perfect lob and closed on his fifth chance of the match.

“This match reminds me of last year. It was a great battle,” Alcaraz said after equaling Rafael Nadal’s record win in Madrid.

“It was hard for me to deal with my emotions, handle the tough moments. It was really tough for me to take a break after being 40-0 down, serving for the match, but I’m really happy that it happened in the end.” There was no effect on me and my mentality and I kept fighting.

Sinner won 80 percent of his points on the back of his first serve against Khachanov, hitting 35 winners to 29 unforced errors in the two-hour, nine-minute battle.

The defending Australian Open champion will face either Casper Ruud or Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in the semi-finals.

“Of course I am not 100 percent physically fit today. I have a day off tomorrow, which can help me get the job done,” said the Italian.

Swiatek fights back

Meanwhile, third seed Daniil Medvedev beat Alexander Bublik 7-6(7/3), 6-4 to complete his set of Masters 1000 quarter-finals and book a clash with Rafael Nadal or Jiri Lehka.

After earning an opening set tiebreak, Medvedev raced to a 5–1 lead, but Bublik halted his momentum and limited his deficit to just one game.

But Medvedev had a second chance to serve for victory and this time he easily converted his first match point to make the last-eight or better stage at each of the nine Masters 1000 events.

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek had to sweat it out in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over Brazilian lefty Beatriz Haddad Maia as she lost her first set of the tournament and needed two and a half hours to reach the was required. Second consecutive Madrid semi-final.

Swiatek lost the first set after squandering a 4-1 lead, but the world number one fought back and cut down on her mistakes to take the next eight games.

Hadad Maia stopped Swiatek’s attempt to break serve in the third game of the decider, but the Brazilian’s comeback attempt was short-lived.

Swiatek, 22, has made the last four in four of her last five matches with either 2022 champion Ons Jabeur or American Madison Keys.

“I needed to stick to my strategy, because in the first set I started making a lot of mistakes. I started playing too fast,” Swiatek said.

“I really needed to get back to basics and what I wanted to play today. It took me a little while, more than usual, but I’m glad it happened even after the set.”

Swiatek has now reached the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the 15th time – the most by a player under the age of 23.

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