Andrey Rublev came back from a set down to knock out defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-3 6-2 in Madrid.

The world number eight is into the semi-finals in the Spanish capital after coming back from a set down to defeat the defending champion.

Now Rublev awaits either Taylor Fritz or Francisco Cerundolo in the last four on Friday.

Despite threatening the break early on, the opening set didn’t go Rublev’s way as Alcaraz was too efficient on return as he broke in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead.

The Spaniard produced some incredible point construction as he made Rublev around the court as Alcaraz continued his confident week.

As for Rublev, he kept committing unforced errors as he allowed the Spaniard to create too more break points in the ninth game.

Rublev was clutch enough to hold off the Alcaraz threat but he couldn’t provide that killer instinct on return as the Spaniard wrapped up the opening set in 42 minutes.

However Rublev responded well to turn the match around as Alcaraz’s energy started to fade after his three set epic with Jan-Lennard Struff the day before.

The seventh seed took full advantage to break for a 2-0 lead and continued to threaten Alcaraz throughout the set.

Despite Rublev being frustrated throughout the set, the world number eight remained composed in big moments as he saved three break points from Alcaraz in the set to level the match at one set all.

The unforced errors continued to mount from Alcaraz in the third set as Rublev continued his big-hitting from the baseline.

Two breaks of serve in the opening and fifth game secured the win and a place in the last four.

After the match Rublev praised his serving today and spoke about his recent losing streak, “I think the serve saved me a lot of times today,” Rublev told the ATP website.

“I think the key was I was completely calm the whole match. I did not say one word, even if I was losing. That was the key and I was able to serve even better near the end. In the beginning, I was not serving that well but little by little, after set one, I served better and better and finished really well.

“When you start to think of how good everything is, then for six weeks I was not winning at all. So it is better to not think at all. That it is just a moment and it happens to everyone.

“Everyone has been through these moments and the most important thing is to keep working and keep improving.”

A gutting defeat for Alcaraz who now heads to Rome in search of more match practice ahead of Roland Garros.

As for Rublev he will face Taylor Fritz or Francisco Cerundolo for a place in the Madrid final on Friday.

Wednesday features quarterfinal play in both the ATP and WTA singles draws.

On Tuesday afternoon, Carlos Alcaraz survived a dramatic affair against Jan-Lennard Struff, which lasted nearly three hours.  Just 24 hours later, he will return to Manolo Santana Stadium to play Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.  Wednesday’s other ATP singles quarterfinal sees Taylor Fritz take on Francisco Cerundolo.

The WTA quarterfinals on Wednesday feature two of the top seeds against unseeded opponents.  Recent Stuttgart champion Elena Rybakina plays Yulia Putintseva, whiletwo-time Madrid champ Aryna Sabalenka faces 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.

Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule.  Wednesday’s play gets underway at 12:00pm local time.

Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – Not Before 4:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium

Alcaraz has now won 14 consecutive matches in Madrid, after outlasting Jan-Lennard Struff in a third-set tiebreak.  Tuesday’s fourth round contest was extremely draining both physically and emotionally, and Carlitos came into this tournament with a right arm injury that forced him to withdraw from both Monte Carlo and Madrid.

Rublev arrived in Spain’s capital on a four-match losing streak, yet has won all six sets he’s played this fortnight.  On Tuesday, he spent nearly two hours less on court than Alcaraz, defeating Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 6-4.  Andrey is vying for his first semifinal in Madrid, and his first at Masters 1000 level of the year.

They have only played once before, less than six months ago at the ATP Finals, where Alcaraz prevailed 7-5, 6-2.  While Carlitos feels vulnerable on Wednesday, I still give him the edge over an opponent who has been lacking in confidence, especially in Carlitos’ home country.

Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Not Before 8:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium

On Monday, Sabalenka picked up her biggest win in quite a while, ending the 15-match win streak of Danielle Collins, despite dropping the first set to the red-hot American.  All three of Aryna’s victories this fortnight have come in three sets, as she fights to get back into top form.  She is now 15-3 lifetime in Madrid, and the previous two times she’s advanced out of her opening round match, she’s won this tournament.

Andreeva’s breakthrough at tour level took place at this very event a year ago, when she beat three top 50 players to reach the fourth round.  A year later, the recently-turned 17-year-old has now advanced a round further, defeating three seeded players along the way.  That includes reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, as well as recent Dubai champ Jasmine Paolini.

And in 2023, it was Sabalenka who ended Andreeva’s run here in Madrid, with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory.  That remains their only head-to-head matchup to date.  I expect a much closer score line on Wednesday, considering Aryna’s struggles after the death of her ex-boyfriend.  However, I also expect the same result: a Sabalenka victory.  She just possesses so much more power than Andreeva, which is rewarded by the altitude in Madrid.

Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:

Yulia Putintseva vs. Elena Rybakina (4) – Rybakina has not dropped a set through three matches, while her fellow countrywoman Putintseva has upset two top 10 seeds to reach this quarterfinal (Zheng, Kasatkina).  And Yulia is 2-0 against against Elena, though they haven’t played in over three years.

Taylor Fritz (12) vs. Francisco Cerundolo (21) – Fritz took out eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz on Tuesday.  Cerundolo ousted the fourth seed, Sascha Zverev, on the same day.  Francisco claimed their only prior encounter in four sets, which took place a year ago at Roland Garros.

Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.

Tuesday features all ATP fourth round singles matches, as well as the first two WTA singles quarterfinals.

After playing for over three hours late in the day on Monday, what will Rafael Nadal have left on Tuesday night against the 30^th seed, Jiri Lehecka?  Overall the men’s fourth round singles matches feature seven of the top 10 seeds, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev. 

Tuesday’s WTA singles quarterfinals are headlined by a rematch from last year’s Roland Garros semifinals, between Iga Swiatek and Beatriz Haddad Maia.  Plus, Ons Jabeur looks to turn around a disappointing season against Madison Keys.

Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule.  Tuesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.

Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia (11) – Not Before 12:30pm on Manolo Santana Stadium

At Roland Garros last June, Swiatek won the first set handily, but the second set was quite a roller coaster, with Iga eventually prevailing in a tiebreak after both players came from behind within the set.  They have split their other two meetings, with Beatriz prevailing 7-5 in the third two years ago in Toronto, and Iga prevailing 6-2, 6-2 at the start of this season in the United Cup.

Swiatek is now 29-4 in 2024, after a 6-1, 6-0 drubbing of Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo on Monday.  Iga is 9-2 in Madrid, and was the runner-up a year ago.  Haddad Maia came into this fortnight with a losing record on the year, yet has not dropped a set through three rounds, upsetting fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari on Monday.

The altitude in Madrid does not create ideal conditions for Swiatek, as the ball travels more quickly than she prefers.  And Haddad Maia is playing well, and has proven she is fully capable of defeating the World No.1.  But I still favor the in-form Iga, especially on this surface.

Rafael Nadal (PR) vs. Jiri Lehecka (30) – Last on Manolo Santana Stadium

Nadal’s third round match on Monday against Pedro Cachin lasted for three hours and four minutes.  And without Rafa getting a day of rest, I do not love his chances against Lehecka.  The 22-year-old from the Czech Republic has a pretty big game, and has been steadily improving these last few seasons.  Jiri is 15-8 in 2024, and won an ATP title this past January in Adelaide. 

Lehecka won both of his first two Madrid matches in straight sets, and spent over an hour less time on court than Nadal on Monday.  Rafa contested a very up-and-down match against Cachin, with both men struggling to maintain leads in the second and third sets.  Rafa could not sustain his higher level from Saturday, when he beat Alex de Minaur in straight sets.

This will be the first time since the 2022 US Open that Nadal has played four matches at one tournament.  And with his body at much less than 100% even before he played for three hours on Monday, a depleted King of Clay will likely struggle against a seeded player on Tuesday.

Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:

Daniil Medvedev (3) vs. Alexander Bublik (17) – Medvedev and Bublik both overcame seeded Americans on Monday, in Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton.  This rivalry between two of the sport’s most expressive and complicated characters has been dominated by Daniil, who is 6-0 against Alexander at all levels.

Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Tallon Griekspoor (24) – Rublev arrived in Madrid on a four-match losing streak, but survived a dramatic encounter with Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday.  Griekspoor upset Holger Rune in the last round.  Andrey is 2-0 against Tallon, though both matches have gone the distance.

Hubert Hurkacz (8) vs. Taylor Fritz (12) – Hurkacz is 23-9 on the year, and is coming off a title run on clay earlier this month in Estoril.  Fritz is 17-7, and was the runner-up this month in Munich.  Fritz leads their head-to-head 2-1.

Jan-Lennard Struff (23) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – Alcaraz has dropped only nine games through four sets thus far.  Struff upset 13^th-seeded Ugo Humbert on Sunday, and just recently won his first ATP title in Munich at the age of 33.  This is a rematch from last year’s championship match in Madrid, which Carlitos won in three.

Francisco Cerundolo (21) vs. Alexander Zverev (4) – Like Alcaraz, Zverev is a two-time champion of this event, and is yet to drop a set.  Cerundolo came from a set down in the third round to take out Tommy Paul. 

Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Karen Khachanov (16) – Sinner is now a superb 27-2 this season, but was a bit bothered by a hip issue on Monday.  Jannik is 3-1 against Karen, and has claimed their last three encounters.

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Casper Ruud (5) – Ruud won his ATP-leading 31^st match of the year on Monday, while Auger-Aliassime advanced after only 36 minutes, due to Jakub Mensik’s retirement.  Casper leads their head-to-head 3-1 at tour level.

Madison Keys (18) vs. Ons Jabeur (8) – Jabeur easily dispatched of Jelena Ostapenko on Monday, just her sixth win of 2024.  Keys won a tough three-setter against the third seed, Coco Gauff.  Ons is 2-0 against Madison.

Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.