The second-ranked player in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, prevailed against Jan-Lennard Struff on Sunday, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, to successfully defend his Madrid Open title.
The US Open winner now has a chance to overtake Novak Djokovic at the top spot in the world rankings by winning one match at the Rome Masters the week before the French Open (May 22 to June 11, 2023).
Alcaraz extended his preparation for Roland Garros by winning the Madrid title in addition to his triumphs at Barcelona, Buenos Aires, and Indian Wells this year.
Even though he didn’t play at his energetic best against lucky loser, Struff who is the 65th-ranked player in the world, Alcaraz remained in shape throughout the game.
The 20-year-old struggled against his German rival, but in the end, he succeeded in defending his ATP Masters 1000 crown, becoming the first player to do it at such a young age since Rafael Nadal in 2006.
Struff saved a break point at 1-1 in the critical third set, and the top seed then broke after launching a long volley.
Alcaraz forced another break point at 4-1, but Struff resisted and held on to the very last round. Then, the Spaniard prevailed when his rival delivered a long backhand.
“Today (Sunday) I enjoyed it in parts, in other parts I suffered more than I enjoyed it, but it’s what you have to live with”, said Alcaraz.
“Nerves come into play and it’s difficult, but I think I enjoyed it more than I suffered today”.
The world’s second-ranked player, Aryna Sabalenka, won the women’s title in Madrid on Saturday by defeating Iga Swiatek.
