Carlos Alcaraz has become only the second man after Rafael Nadal to defend their title at the Madrid Open after ending the dream run of Germany’s Jan Lennard-Struff in a three-set epic.
Alcaraz, who dropped only two sets in the entire tournament, battled to a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, win over the world No.65 to claim his fourth title of the season and his 10th overall. The 20-year-old is the youngest player to defend a Masters 1000 title since Nadal at the 2006 Italian Open and has now won 21 consecutive Tour matches played on the clay in his home country of Spain.
In what was a roller-coaster battle at the Caja Magica, Alcaraz produced a total of 19 winners compared to 31 unforced errors en route to victory. He now leads Struff 2-1 in their head-to-head.
“It is so special for me to lift the trophy here in Madrid. It is always special to play in my country and to be able to be the champion here (in Madrid) is special,” Alcaraz told TennisTV afterwards.
“(Playing) in front of my home crowd, family and friends for me is a special thing that I will never forget.”
Alcaraz had to contend with some fierce play from a resurgent Struff who had a fairytale run to the final. The German originally lost in qualifying on his 33rd birthday before being given a lucky loser spot into the main draw. Capitalizing on his opportunity, he scored back-to-back wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Aslan Karatsev to become the first lucky loser to reach the final of a Masters 1000 event since the series began in 1990.
Struff’s ability to return the ball quickly and deep frustrated a fired-up Alcaraz throughout the opener. The world No.2 got off to the perfect start by breaking instantly after a backhand volley from his opponent landed out. However, he lost his advantage two games later due to some inspired play coming from across the court. As the set progressed, Struff’s first serve began to wobble which paved the way for Alcaraz to break once more as he rallied to a 5-4 lead. Serving for the set, the Spaniard had to recover from a 0-40 deficit before sealing the lead with a blistering forehand winner.
Despite falling behind and facing the animated Spanish crowd, Struff refused to back down as he started the second frame guns blazing by winning 12 out of the first 16 points played to work his way to a 3-0 lead. Later on in the set, he prevailed in a marathon 15-minute service game that saw him save five break points. No matter what Alcaraz threw at him, Struff had all the answers as he forced the match into a decider. Becoming the sixth player this season to take a set off the reigning US Open champion.
With €1,105,265 in prize money and 1000 ranking points at stake, Alcaraz restored his lead in the decider as Struff began to weaken on the court. Orchestrating the crowd to get behind him, a single break in his favour guided him to the trophy. Alcaraz worked his way to his first championship point with a forehand smash at the net before a Struff shot landing out secured him the triumph. Prompting him to drop to the ground after nearly two-and-a-half hours of play.
“Jan was playing great and really aggressive. Sometimes I couldn’t play my game and I was waiting for my chance,” Alcaraz reflected.
“In the second set, I had a lot of chances to break his serve but I couldn’t do it. That was tough for me to lose the second set but I told myself that I had to be positive all the time.”
Besides paying tribute to his peer, Alcaraz also praised the support he received from the crowd throughout his run in Madrid. It is the second tournament he has won in his home country this season after Barcelona which he also won for the second year in a row.
“Since my first ball (hit at the Madrid Open this year) the crowd has been cheering my name. It was really helpful for me,” he said.
“To have a lot of people behind you, supporting you and pushing you on during the bad moments has been amazing.”
Alcaraz’s win will move him to just five points behind Novak Djokovic in the ATP Pepperstone rankings when they are updated on Monday.
MORE TO COME
