Alcaraz resists the pressure of an excellent Struff to reach the quarters
Carlos Alcaraz gave himself a real scare. Really scared. The defending champion was tested, much more than he could have imagined, but he stood firm (6-3, 6-7, 7-6 in 2 hours 52 minutes). In a crazy remake of the 2023 final, Carlos Alcaraz was seriously challenged for the first time in the tournament. Opposed to a very confident Jan-Lennard Struff (who won the title in Munich before arriving in Madrid), the Spaniard didn't always seem at ease. Caught by the throat by a German who deprived him of time, particularly on the return, the world number 3 suffered greatly.
But Madrid is his home. On a wildly charged Manolo Santana court, the Spaniard held his nerve to come out on top. After almost 3 hours of battle, it was finally the world number 3 who would challenge Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals. The Spaniard, who served for the match before being broken, scored a precious victory.
After a largely controlled first set (6-3), the defending champion faltered. Leading by a set and a break, the Spaniard saw his opponent come back with a series of dry shots. Freed and more attacking than ever, it was at the end of a very tense tie-break that the German pushed the defending champion into a decisive final set (7-6).
Despite being badly outplayed at the start of the last set, the Spaniard was able to play at a stratospheric level and quickly pulled away (5-2). It was then that the match became absolutely unpredictable. Just as he was about to serve for the win (5-3), 'Carlito' missed four match points before finally being unseated. On a slightly quieter Manolo Santana Court, the Spaniard even had to save another break point at 5-5. Against all expectations, this last 16 match was to be decided by a tie-break in the final set. As evenly matched as ever, it was finally down to a few last-gasp winners that the defending champion clinched his place in the quarter-finals (6-3, 6-7, 7-6).
The world number 3 could have lost a lot on Tuesday, but in the end it was grinta that got him through. In the next round, he faces an opponent with a very different style of play: Andrey Rublev.
Despite an exceptional match, Struff can be disappointed. As an outgoing finalist, he will drop in the ATP rankings (to around 40th place in the world). That said, it will make him a player to avoid in the first round of the French Open.
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