Author: Barkha Roy
Local boy number one Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday after beating loser Jan-Lennard Struff, thus ending the German’s good run in the competition, 6-4, 3-6 and 6-3.
By winning this tough match, the 20-year-old became the youngest player to defend an ATP Masters 1000 title since Rafael Nadal in 2005-06. He also joined Nadal in becoming the only player to win the Madrid Open in the sequence. By virtue of winning the championship, Alcaraz will become world number one in the ATP rankings as soon as he appears in his opening match in Rome.
Despite facing a barrage of powerful blows from his German opponent, the defending champion managed to hold his nerve in the first set, thanks to his exceptional agility and ability to force Struff into making mistakes. The first set lasted 53 minutes, during which the defending champion obtained a crucial break of serve at 3-3 when Struff double-faulted. Although Struff managed to hold his serve when he served for the set, he had to fight back from a 0/40 deficit to do so. That break of serve proved to be the decisive moment of the set, allowing the defending champion to take the lead.
In response to Alcaraz’s exceptional agility, Struff used his powerful groundstrokes to good effect, serving and volleying throughout the second set. Despite facing five break points with a 3-1 lead, Struff managed to hold his serve, before levelling the match.
Alcaraz struggled to win his first service points, winning just 60% (27/45) of them in the first and second sets. However, he managed to improve his first serve points to 81% (17/21) in the decider. As the match progressed, Alcaraz began to win the long exchanges and hit more freely. He also used his drop shot effectively, pulling Struff around the court, which ultimately resulted in his victory.
Elsewhere, in the women’s doubles event, the Belarusian-Brazilian duo of Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia emerged victorious, beating the Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets in Sunday’s final. The unseeded pair had an exceptional week, beating two of the top three seeds and winning their first tournament title together.
Making their debut as a team at the Madrid Open, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia got off to a remarkable start, knocking out No. 3 seeds and Stuttgart champions Desirae Krawczyk and Demis Schuurs in the first round. They continued their impressive run by beating Paula Badosa/Bethanie Mattek Sands and Leylah Fernandez/Taylor Townsend to reach the final.