Alcaraz defeats Struff to clinch his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title

Carlos Alcaraz won the Madrid Open after defeating German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to win his sixth ATP Masters 1000 championship.

After playing his first match in Rome, Alcaraz will move up to No. 1 in the ATP Live Rankings with his 29th victory of the year and 10th tour-level triumph. Alcaraz struggled with his serve at times during the two hours and 25 minutes of the final, only winning 60% (27/45) of his first-serve points in the first two sets. The first seed, despite everything, battled bravely and eluded a German bombardment. He hit nine winners in the third set to win, launching his strong groundstrokes with authority and precision at the advancing Struff.

The 53-minute first set saw the defending champion withstand the German’s hard-hitting while retaining rallies with his superb quickness and forcing Struff into mistakes. At 3-3 in the opening set, Struff double-flubbed, and Alcaraz battled from 0/40 to hold when serving for the set. This proved to be the break that Alcaraz needed to win. He began to win the lengthy exchanges and hit with more freedom as the match went on. He also pulled Struff around the court with his drop shot to earn the victory.

“For me, it is so, so special. To lift the trophy here in Madrid. In my country. It is always special to play and to be able to get a good result here, and being a champion is so special. In front of my home crowd, my family, and my friends. Everyone is close to me. For me, it is a special feeling that I will never forget,”  Alcaraz stated.

“It was a really tough match. Jan was playing great, really aggressive. In the second set, I had a lot of chances to break his serve, but I didn’t take them, and it was tough for me to lose it. I told myself that I had to be positive all the time and that I would have my chances, and I think I did it in the third set,” Alcaraz said.

This year, Alcaraz has claimed four victories at the tour level. He won on clay in Buenos Aires and Barcelona and on hard clay at Indian Wells to win the title. He took the lead in the ATP Live Race to Turin with his victory in the Spanish capital. Alcaraz hasn’t taken the lead in the live race until this season.