MADRID — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a major scare at the Madrid Open as No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula claimed wins.
Alcaraz moved past Emil Ruusuvuori 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the third round in the Spanish capital. Alcaraz clenched both fists and roared “Vamos! Vamos! Vamos!” at the packed stands of the Madrid Open.
His war cry of “Let´s go!” in Spanish draws motivation for Alcaraz when he faces difficulty, and revs up his fans. This time it worked.
“It was really tough. I would say I was about to lose,” Alcaraz said. “It was just one point. One of the break points he had at 2-3 in the second set was like a match point for him. I was really happy I was able to save that game and come back a bit. It was really tough. Emil played unbelievably, but I am really, really happy to get through that.”
The defending champion survived a tougher-than-expected test by 41st-ranked Emil Ruusuvuori in his opening match. “When I got it to 3-3 in the second set, I thought that this is my chance,” Alcaraz said.
“I tried to take that. I was really, really focused. I was trying to put every ball in and running for every ball. Playing with a good attitude the whole match, I was able to come back.”
Alcaraz was on the brink of an early upset before he dug down for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over his Finnish opponent.
“It was tough for me to get used to the conditions,” Alcaraz said. “There is so much altitude here, the ball bounces a lot. I am not going to use excuses. Emil was better than me until 3-3 in the second set.
“Hitting the ball with no mistakes, serving well with a lot of rhythm and I could not follow his rhythm. It was tough for me to stay with him. But I am happy to come back and finish with a lot of confidence.”
The Spanish teenager, who turns 20 next week, saved five break points in what turned out to be a critical game to remain level at 3-3 in the second set. In the next game, Alcaraz secured his first break to turn the second-round match in his favor.
Alcaraz jokingly apologized to the partisan crowd for the close call.
“It wasn´t just a scare for them, it was (a scare) for me, too,” Alcaraz said according to AP. “I am just happy I could get this very difficult win.
“Maybe people think that I should win easily or not get into trouble in matches, but each match is its own world. It was a very hard match.
“You just have to stay humble and accept the bad moments as they come and try to turn it around.”
On the women’s side, Swiatek eased past Julia Grabher of Austria after the three-time Grand Slam winner converted three of five break chances.
Alcaraz, ranked No. 2, arrived from successfully defending his Barcelona Open title last weekend and with a chance to move closer to reclaiming the top spot in the world ranking from Novak Djokovic who, like Rafael Nadal, is out with injury.
Ruusuvuori beat Alcaraz on the hard court of Miami in 2021. Alcaraz won that tournament in Florida a year later before also conquering Barcelona and Madrid during a remarkable season that culminated in his US Open victory.
But Ruusuvuori was not expected to give Alcaraz such a tough test on the Madrid clay.
The result was still in doubt until Ruusuvuori sent his backhand into the net and ceded his first service game of the third set. Alcaraz poured it on to increase his advantage.
Also, third-seeded Casper Ruud lost to Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-4.
Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev advanced after seeing off Stan Wawrinka 7-5, 6-4 as the Monte Carlo winner improved to 9-1 on clay this year.
Also in the women’s tournament, third-seeded Jessica Pegula, who was a finalist in Madrid last year, got past Polish qualifier Magdalena Frech 7-6 (5), 6-3.
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