The double champion was defeated in the quarterfinals with the Russian’s great comeback
MADRID, 1 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz lost (4-6, 6-3, 6-2) this Wednesday against the Russian Andrey Rublev and was eliminated from the Mutua Madrid Open in the quarterfinal round, stopping the streak of 14 consecutive victories of the current double champion in the Caja Mágica.
After losing the king of the land, Rafa Nadal, the night before, Manolo Santana, with the roof closed again, and the Spanish option in the fourth Masters 1000 of the season suffered the final blow. Alcaraz gave in to a very powerful Rublev in his punches and with his serve, capable of controlling his usual pace of revolutions to knock down the defending champion.
The Murcian arrived in Madrid with physical doubts about his forearm, after an inactivity that came from Miami. After three victories these days in the Caja Mágica, especially Tuesday’s in the reissue of the last final against the German Jan-Lennard Struff, Alcaraz had set his sights on the title, but Rublev was a cement wall despite to start from below.
Within the tightness of the match, the Spaniard took advantage of a drop by the Russian with his serve to break in the fifth game of the first set. As he had wished in the previous round, Alcaraz took advantage of his opportunity when he presented himself and had a correct first set, winning the duel of intensity and rallies from the back of the court.
All in all, Rublev was able to concede the blow and raise the level in the second set, one more step that the Spaniard did not have. Despite holding on in the sixth game, but without converting the break balls in the seventh, the Murcian did not avoid the tiebreaker. History repeated itself in the third act, with a much more forceful Rublev to take an early advantage and make his intentions clear.
The world number eight’s repertoire already seemed evident that it was not going to diminish, winning his serve with authority and adding another break for 5-1. He had no response either physically or in his game, an Alcaraz who saw his love affair with Madrid stopped after 14 consecutive victories, as well as the attempt to recover the best version of him, while the ‘Top 3’ in the world may fall.
The Murcian, champion this year in Indian Wells, now has Rome and Roland Garros to prove that he has overcome the physical doubts, the setbacks that also take away his regularity, and can once again be fighting for the titles. Rublev, who had won a match since February until arriving in Madrid, achieved his best performance in the Caja Mágica to meet the American Taylor Fritz or the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo in the semifinals.
