A confirmation and a surprise. The program of the third round of the Spanish Masters 1000 opens on the sunny Sunday in Madrid Carlos Alcaraz’s new show is on stage at the Caja Magica, who after overwhelming Alexander Shevchenko gave the same treatment to Thiago Seyboth Wild, who had eliminated Lorenzo Musetti in the previous match. Holger Rune was out instead, defeated by Tallon Griekspoor after a hard battle.
Atp Madrid, Alcaraz gives Seyboth Wild no chance
No problem for Alcaraz, which concedes just six games to the Brazilian, who is also on the rise in the ATP rankings. Comfortable 6-3 for the Murcian champion in the first set, then another acceleration in the following set, with Seyboth Wild who only made a leap at the last minute, going from 0-5 to 3-5, after breaking Carlitos’ serve. But then Alcaraz recovers from his torpor and closes the accounts. Double 6-3 for him: in the next round the challenge against Jan-Lennard Struff, a remake of last year’s final. Struff who won his first ATP title in Monaco last week, beating Taylor Fritz in the final.
ATP Ranking: Alcaraz-Sinner, the duel continues
With this victory, despite the fleeting nap at the end of the second set, Alcaraz sends an indirect message to Jannik Sinner: the Spaniard has no intention of abdicating, he showed up in Madrid with the aim of confirming the 2022 and 2023 titles and maintaining the points in the ranking. In short, the fight for position number 2 is more alive than ever and in the background the one for the number 1 position appears. Djokovic’s problems and the increasingly frequent withdrawals of ‘Re Nole’ make the duel between Alcaraz and Sinner the challenge of the present and future for the top of world tennis.
Rune eliminated by Griekspoor after new skit
Meanwhile nothing to do for Rune, that after yet another drama – accused the organizers of the Madrid tournament of having even hatched a conspiracy against him, complete with sabotage of his racket – he sadly left the scene, defeated by Tallon Griekspoor. A very hard-fought match, with the Dane – having now slipped to twelfth place in the world – losing in the third set: 6-4 4-6 6-3 the result in favor of Griekspoor. In the round of 16 the Dutchman will face the revived Andrey Rublev, who painfully defeated the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (7-6 6-4).
