Carlos Alcaraz holds off Jan-Lennard Struff to reach Madrid quarter-finals

On Tuesday, Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed, continued his impressive winning streak at the Madrid Open, reaching a record-equalling 14 victories. He faced a tough challenge from his familiar opponent, Jan-Lennard Struff, but managed to secure a hard-fought victory. As a result, Alcaraz advanced to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

In a repeat of the final from the previous year at the Caja Magica, Alcaraz ended Struff's six-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(4) victory, securing a spot in the quarter-finals against seventh seed Andrey Rublev.

Despite dealing with a hip problem, top-seeded Jannik Sinner managed to defeat Karen Khachanov 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, advancing to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season.

Alcaraz, who had missed the Monte Carlo and Barcelona tournaments due to a forearm injury, displayed resilience by saving eight out of 10 break points. He also had to overcome four match points before finally sealing the win after two hours and 52 minutes.

Expressing his joy, the former world number one wrote on the camera lens, "How much I've missed this! Quarters next."

With a flawless record of 24-0 on Spanish clay since the beginning of the 2022 season, Alcaraz aims to become the first player to win three consecutive Madrid titles.

Although Alcaraz lost a 2-0 lead in the second set, he managed to gain a 3-1 advantage in the tiebreak. However, he then lost the next five points, resulting in Struff winning the set. Struff had entered the tournament after securing his first ATP title in Munich.

In the decisive set, Alcaraz broke Struff's serve in the fourth game, providing him with the necessary cushion. However, when serving for the victory at 5-3 and leading 40-0, Alcaraz was broken by Struff.

Struff saved four match points, leading the contest to a fittingly intense deciding tiebreak. Alcaraz initially let a 3-0 lead slip, but he regained control by earning more match points, including a perfectly executed lob. Eventually, he closed out the match on his fifth opportunity.

Reflecting on the match, Alcaraz stated, "This match reminds me of last year's. It was a great fight." He also matched Rafael Nadal's record winning streak in Madrid.
Sinner managed to win 80 percent of points behind his first serve against Khachanov, recording 35 winners and 29 unforced errors during the two-hour nine-minute match.

The current Australian Open titleholder is set to compete against Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the semi-finals.

"I am not in peak physical condition today. Having a day off tomorrow could assist me in recovering," stated the Italian player.

On the other hand, third seed Daniil Medvedev secured his place in the quarter-finals of all nine Masters 1000 events by defeating Alexander Bublik 7-6(3), 6-4. He will now face either Rafael Nadal or Jiri Lehecka in the next round.

After winning the first set tiebreak, Medvedev quickly took a 5-1 lead before Bublik fought back to narrow the gap to just one game.

However, Medvedev capitalized on his second opportunity to serve for the win, converting his first match point to advance to the quarter-finals or better in all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.