The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz qualified this Tuesday for the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open, the fourth Masters 1000 of the season that is being held at the Caja Mágica, after winning with much suffering against the German Jan-Lennard Struff (6-3 , 6-7, 7-6) in an even more exciting reissue of last year’s final that could have closed without so much suspense for the current champion.
Again, and almost a year after seeing each other in the fight to lift the trophy, the Murcian and the German fought, because of the runner-up, another even better ‘battle’ that also required three rounds and almost three hours of match for another Maybe Struff’s good resistance and a very irregular match by the world number three, who made life complicated when he reached 40-0 at 5-3 in the third set, but who showed nerves of steel.
Alcaraz found himself with a match very similar to last year, then with a bigger prize, like the title, and with Struff much better placed in the circuit, as the twenty-third favorite in the capital and not as a surprising ‘lucky loser’. Since last May 7, they had not seen each other again, but the German’s tactics, which went from less to more, did not vary too much, trying to be very aggressive at all times and avoid rallies where he had many votes. of losing.
The Murcian had it in his hand, but he showed his ups and downs in the game, especially with his best weapon, the ‘drive’, with which he was not as solid as he usually is, despite the fact that he left big blows and did not give any sensation. to have any problem in the forearm area.
The start of the match gave the rest options, plus Struff, who had a dangerous 15-40 and another ball in the third game, but they were well saved by Alcaraz. The tie remained until the sixth game where the double ‘Grand Slam’ winner achieved the break that gave him an advantage that he put at risk in the next game. Two good serves and a powerful drive avoided having to row again.
The second seed no longer had any problems closing the first set and the best news was that he broke the German’s serve at the first opportunity to also lead the second set. But the 2023 runner-up did not break down, recovered the deficit after enduring a long rally and a great return, and then took the lead for the first time (3-2).
STRUFF NO SE RINDE
The German, especially with the serve and the forehand, began to look more like the one in last year’s final and after two blank serves he subtracted (5-4) to force a third and final set. There he put pressure on El Palmar (30-30), but he saved the situation and then it was Struff who suffered (0-30) after two errors with his drive. In the end, the round, after another tense game by Alcaraz, had to be decided in the tie-break where the German started to trail, but it ended up being better to take the duel to one more round with a millimeter ‘ace’ (7/ 5).
The duel repeated what happened in 2023 and once again demanded the step forward from Alcaraz, who needed to be somewhat more regular with his ‘drive’ and who found the advantage on the scoreboard again after a somewhat erratic game from his rival that put him with a promising 4-1 after holding his serve.
But Struff did not give up and threatened the Spaniard’s service again in the seventh game, who saved the situation by relying on his forehand and, above all, with a risky second serve at a delicate 30-40. Alcaraz had it in his hand, with a clear 40-0 and a fourth match point, but he wasted it to give life to his rival who, with great blows, once again put fear in Manolo Santana with another break option with 5-5.
The German was thrown into ‘sudden death’ where he was able to equalize 3/0 before finally succumbing to the defending champion who will face the Russian Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, a round in which the Italian Jannik Sinner is also included. and the Russian Daniil Medvedev, who respectively beat Karen Kachanov (5-7, 6-3, 6-3) and the Kazakh Alexander Bublik (7-6, 6-4), but not the German Alexander Zverev, double champion , defeated by the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo (6-3, 6-4).