The picture of the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Madrid is completed. There will be Jannik Sinner among the best eight, after the South Tyrolean managed to come from behind to beat the Russian Karen Khachanov with a score of 5-7 6-3 6-3 after two hours and nine minutes of play. A test of strength and character from the world number two, who started badly, perhaps even a little affected by the hip problem, but who then significantly raised his level in the second and third sets.
It won’t be Casper Ruud who will face Sinner in the quarterfinals, but a rediscovered Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian achieved a very heavy and surprising victory against the Norwegian, who was fresh from winning the Barcelona tournament and the Monte Carlo final. Auger-Aliassime won in two sets with a score of 6-4 7-5.
Rafael Nadal’s dream comes to a halt. The Majorcan fell to the Czech Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16 with a score of 7-5 6-4 after just over two hours of play. Daniil Medvedev will challenge Lehecka. The Russian defeated Kazakh Alexander Bublik in two sets with a score of 7-6 6-4
Carlos Alcaraz also goes to the quarterfinals, but how much effort for the Spaniard in what was a match that promised many dangers for the number three in the world. Alcaraz won in three sets with a score of 6-3 6-7 7-6 after a battle of almost three hours of gameplay, with the Spaniard making life difficult for himself several times, given that he was ahead 5-3 and 40-0 in the third set.
Now Alcaraz will face a new find Andrey Rublev. The Russian, after a series of bad eliminations in recent tournaments, managed to brilliantly reach the quarterfinals in Madrid, beating the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor in two sets after just an hour and six minutes of play.
Definitely a big surprise the elimination of Alexander Zverev at the hands of the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, who beat the German 6-3 6-4 at the end of a truly top-level performance. It will be a decidedly surprising fourth which will put him against the American Taylor Fritz, not exactly a grounder, but good at making the match his own with Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 6-4.
ATP MADRID RESULTS 2024 (APRIL 30)
Medvedev (Rus) b. Bublik (Kaz) 7-6 6-4
Rublev (Rus) b. Griekspoor (Ned) 6-2 6-4
Fritz (USA) b. Hurkacz (Pol) 7-6 6-4
Cerundolo (Arg) b. Zverev (Ger) 6-3 6-4
Alcaraz (Esp) b. Struff (Ger) 6-3 6-7 7-6
Sinner (Ita) b. Khachanov (Rus) 5-7 6-3 6-3
Auger-Aliassime (Can) b. Ruud (North) 6-4 7-5
Lehecka (Cze) b. Nadal (Esp) 7-5 6-4
