It could be a Davis Cup series, but it is the third round of the Madrid Masters 1000. Argentina and the United States, with two of their best exponents, face to face this Sunday. Sebastian Baez was the first to go out onto the clay and could not resolve the power of the throw-in. Taylor Fritzwhile Francisco Cerúndolo (22nd in the ATP ranking) will seek to turn the page and play the expected role against Tommy Paul (16º).
Sebastián Báez, eliminated in Madrid. Photo: EFE/ Sergio Pérez
The effectiveness of Fritz, who completed his match with eleven direct serves, embittered Báez, who said goodbye to Madrid 6-2 and 6-3, unable to face his opponent. The American, eleventh seed, took 64 minutes to progress to the round of 16 and meet the Pole Hubert Hurkaczsixth, who previously left the German Daniel Altmaier out of the tournament for the same result.
Fritz did not give any option to Báez, who had no chance to break throughout the match. Winner in Delray Beach this 2024 and finalist a week ago in Munich, on dirt, he still aspires to achieve his first success on this surface.
For the fourth time in the main draw in Madrid, he has already managed to equal his best record in the Caja Mágica, the round of 16 he reached in 2023.
Meanwhile, the winner of Rio and Santiago de Chile in 2024, left Madrid without being able to overcome the third round, which he already reached in his only previous participation, last season.
Cerúndolo vs Tommy Paul
The record shows two victories per side between Cerúndolo and Tommy Paul. But there is the peculiarity of never having faced each other on clay (three on grass and one on cement).
In the case of winning, Cerúndolo would achieve its best participation in a Masters 1000 so far this season and would be only 100 points away from the Top 20, ensuring that it is the second best Latin American racket with the recent defeat of Nicholas Jarry (23º).
For his part, Paul has been having an excellent year. He won an ATP title (Dallas 250) after three years, being the second in his career. In addition, his record of 15-6 and great victories against Casper Ruud (6th), Ben Shelton (15th) and Frances Tiafoe (21st) allow him to have the necessary support to face these tough matches with flying colors.
Alcaraz, firm in Madrid
Without fanfare, like the employee who does his duty discreetly but effectively, Carlos Alcaraz deactivated the game of Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild (6-3 and 6-3) in an hour and a quarter and qualified for the round of 16 of the tournament. of Madrid, in which he will have as his rival the German Jan-Lennard Struff, whom he beat in last year’s final.
Alcaraz has not lost a game in the last three years at the Caja Mágica and came one step closer to his great goal of this visit to the capital: becoming the first to win three times in a row.
Against the Brazilian, the Spaniard – wearing the ‘verdeamarelha’ kit – showed a show of good sense, without taking more risks than necessary. The strategy proved successful. But between duty and duty he allowed himself some pleasure in the form of ‘gourmet’ blows, so that no one forgets what he is capable of.
Alcaraz’s next obstacle will be Struff, who already showed in the 2023 final that he knows how to hurt him. In the morning round he had beaten the Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-5 and 6-4, thus adding his sixth consecutive victory in recent weeks and the 50th of his career in Masters 1,000.
In last year’s final, Struff bothered Alcaraz enough to give him a set, although he finally lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Nadal vs Pedro Cachín, with confirmed schedule
The road to the round of 16 Rafael Nadal At the Masters 1000 Madrid goes through a third consecutive victory on the central court of the Caja Mágica, where, for the first time in his career, he will face the Argentine Pedro Cachín. The face to face will be at the usual time for the Spanish. 4:00 p.m. local time (9:00 a.m. Argentine time), on the Manolo Santana court.
Never until now has Nadal, who previously surpassed the young American Darwin Blanch, a guest of the tournament, and then the Australian Alex de Miñaur, eleventh seed, had come across in a competition with Cachín, in 91st place on the ATP circuit, champion in Gstaad, on brick dust, last year. It is, so far, the Argentine’s only success, sponsored by Alex Corretja in his first steps as a professional.
2024-04-28 16:39:45
#Fran #Cerúndolo #Tommy #Paul #Báezs #defeat
