World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz defended the title at the Masters 1000 in Madrid but suffered for a long time against the German Jan-Lennard Struff, 65th and Lucky Loser, finally losing 6-4, 3-6, 6 on Sunday: 3 .
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Alcaraz, 20 for two days, won the tenth title of his young career, his fourth in the Masters 1000 and his fourth of the season after Buenos Aires, Indian Wells and Barcelona.
Three weeks before Roland-Garros (May 28 to June 11), the young Spaniard has accumulated 19 wins in twenty games on clay in 2023. He is even unbeaten on European soil: from Barcelona to Madrid he has just recorded eleven successes. His only loss on the surface dates back to February in the final in Rio against Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Overall, Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé, who was injured for the Australian Open and started his season at the end of February, has 29 wins in 2023 and only two losses.
“Carlitos” is on the verge of becoming world No. 1 again: on the heels of Novak Djokovic again on Monday, he only has to play one more match at the Masters 1000 in Rome next week to be sure of being back on the Taking the throne of world tennis at the end of the Italian tournament. Alcaraz hadn’t played in Rome a year ago when Djokovic won there.
Struff, who invited himself to the Masters 1000 final as the first lucky loser, has been pushing Alcaraz on sand like no other since the start of the European season with ultra-offensive tactics: serve and volley full behind his first overwhelming ball and maximum aggressiveness on the return.
But the winner of the US Open 2022 did not give in to visible frustration and finally found the key to victory after almost two and a half hours of duel.
Struff, 33, leaves the Spanish capital on Monday 28th with the best finish of his career.