Alcaraz clinches Madrid Open title

MADRID – Carlos Alcaraz defeated lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the Madrid Open final to defend last year’s title.

The 20-year-old Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open.

He converted on his first match point after a hard-fought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career. He had also successfully defended his title in Barcelona two weeks ago.

It was Alcaraz´s 29th win of the season and 21st straight in Spain going back to a loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid on his 18th birthday two years ago.

Alcaraz´s other titles this year came in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells. He is the first player to win two Masters 1000 trophies this season.

“For me it is so, so special,” Alcaraz said. “To lift the trophy here in Madrid. In my country. It is always special to play and to be able to do a good result here and [being] a champion is so special.

“In front of my home crowd, my family, my friends. Everyone close to me. For me it is a special feeling that I will never forget,” Alcaraz added.

Alcaraz struggled on serve at times throughout the two-hour, 25-minute final, winning just 60 per cent (27/45) of his first-serve points in the opening two sets. The top seed battled hard, though, and survived an attacking bombardment from the big-serving German.

He blasted his explosive groundstrokes at the incoming Struff with authority and precision in the third set, striking nine winners in the third set to triumph.

“It was a really tough match,” Alcaraz said. “Jan was playing great, really aggressive. In the second set I had a lot of chances to break his serve and I didn’t take it and it was tough for me to lose it.

“I told myself that I had to be positive all the time and that I would have my chances and I think I did it in the third set.”

The big-serving Struff was the first lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final, having earned an unexpected spot in the main draw after another player had to drop out.

The 33-year-old German, ranked 65th in the world, was trying to become just the fourth player and first in more than 20 years to win his first tour-level trophy at a Masters 1000.

Struff had lost in the final round of qualifying to Aslan Karatsev, the player he eventually beat in the semifinals after upsetting fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals.

The final was his ninth match at the clay-court tournament in Madrid, compared to six for the top-seeded Alcaraz.

Struff defeated Alcaraz on clay at the French Open in 2021, while Alcaraz needed five sets to down Struff at Wimbledon last year.

“Once again it has been amazing. The crowd, my people, since the first day, were cheering my name,” Alcaraz added. “It is really amazing to have a lot of people behind you and supporting you and pushing you on.”

Elsewhere, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia won the women´s doubles title by defeating top-seeded Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-4.

The unseeded winning duo upset two of the top-three seeds in Madrid.