ATP Masters Madrid: Rublev ends Alcaraz’s winning streak
Andrey Rublev defeated two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 4:6, 6:3 and 6:2 in the first quarterfinal of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 01, 2024, 06:16 pm
Here you can read the match in the live ticker.
Luka Modric had made it from Munich's Allianz Arena to the Caja Magica in time for the start of the match, and Raul Gonzalez seems to have bought a season ticket there anyway. And so this first men's quarter-final at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid 2024 took place in front of prominent witnesses. And under a closed roof - which changed the conditions significantly compared to the first match of the day on Court Manolo Santana between Elena Rybakina and Yulia Putintseva. On the other hand, however, it also multiplied the fans' support for the local hero Alcaraz.
Alcaraz went into his second meeting with Rublev with the recommendation of 14 match wins in a row. And he had problems right from his first service game. But the Madrid champion of 2022 and 2023 corrected them. One break was ultimately enough, Alcaraz won the first set 6-4.
Rublev with two breaks against Alcaraz in the third set
But then Andrey Rublev took advantage of an opportunity to break. At 4:1, the score was 0:40 again from the server Alcaraz's perspective, but he won five points in a row. A few moments later, however, Alcaraz missed the chance to break back. After 84 minutes of play, Rublev had tied the set.
In the deciding match, Rublev took the lead again. With the second break to 4:1, the underdog created facts that Alcaraz could no longer shake. He finally won 4:6, 6:3 and 6:2.
The opponent for the semi-finals will be determined today in the second game of the night session. Taylor Fritz and Francisco Cerundolo will face each other.
Here is the individual tableau in Madrid
madridmap