May 08, (THEWILL) – Carlos Alcaraz proved he is a force to be reckoned with at the upcoming French Open after successfully defending his Madrid Open title in a hard-fought match against Jan-Lennard Struff.
Although the world number two was not at his best, he was able to secure his 10th Tour level title and fourth of the year with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win in front of a passionate home crowd. The 20-year-old now joins Rafael Nadal as one of only two players to win back-to-back in Madrid and becomes the youngest player since the 22-Grand Slam champion to defend an ATP Masters 1000 title.
However, the Spaniard had to overcome a tough challenge from Lucky Loser Struff, who made it through to the final after beating Aslan Karatsev in the semi-finals. Struff was featuring in only his second-ever tour-level final and was bidding to become the oldest first-time Masters 1000 winner and first Lucky Loser to triumph at this level since the inception of the series in 1990.
The match was full of drama and tension as Struff fought hard to upset Alcaraz. He took the second set by breaking with some blistering returns to Alcaraz’s feet, making it seem like he could make life very difficult for the reigning champion. However, Alcaraz dug deep and produced moments of magic when it mattered most, with a sublime drop shot and some brilliant returns.
The victory puts the young Spaniard in the running for the French Open crown, especially with Nadal’s ongoing injury issues. Alcaraz has an impressive 19-1 record on clay and is 29-2 overall for the year so far. He will be hoping to carry this form into the French Open, where he will be aiming to make a mark.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
