After 14 consecutive victories, Carlos’ winning streak in Madrid ends Alcaraz. Reigning champion at the Caja Magica, the Spaniard lost in the quarter-finals against a reborn Andrey Rublev: 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 the final score in favor of the n. 8 in the world after 2 hours of play. A crescendo match for the Russian who, after losing the first set, rose to the next level. Solid from the baseline and unplayable on serve for a chiaroscuro version of Alcaraz, especially fouled on the forehand.
The story of the match
Yet the match had started well for Alcaraz, good at winning the first set thanks to the break achieved in the fifth game. First a splendid passer for 30-40, then Rublev’s help with a forehand in the corridor. The Russian, however, changes gear in the second set. Even in this case, one break is enough, the one earned by the Muscovite at the opening of the set on the fourth occasion, with two consecutive errors by Alcaraz. There the difference is above all in the service: Rublev, in fact, hits 90% of his first serves and loses just 5 overall points on serve. The third set becomes a Russian monologue with a two break advantage in favor of the n. seed. 7, unplayable from deep for Alcaraz. For Spanish this is the first defeat in Madrid since 5 May 2021, the day he lost to Rafa Nadal. For Rublev, however, it is the eighth semifinal of his career in a Masters 1000.
