Top Favorites Fall at Madrid Masters 1000: Alcaraz and Sinner Out of the Running

From one moment to the next, and while he was still trying to recover from saying goodbye to Rafael Nadalhe Madrid Masters 1000 He was left without his two top favorites. And only one took to the field this Wednesday. Was Carlos Alcarazsecond seed, who started strong in their quarterfinal match against Andrey Rublev, but he collapsed after winning the first set and fell to the Russian 4-6, 6-3 and 6-2. Shortly after the elimination of the Murcian, Jannik Sinnerfirst seed, announced that he would not play on Thursday against Very happy Auger due to an injury to his right hip that had been going on for a couple of days.

When Alcaraz and Rublev went to the bench to rest after the first set, there was nothing to suggest that the outcome of the match would favor the Russian. Because the Spanish, who sought to become the first in history to win three consecutive titles in the Magic Boxhad carried that initial partial solidly.

More effective with his serve and more comfortable on the court, Carlitos He took advantage of his opponent’s ups and downs to achieve a break in the fifth game, go ahead 3-2 and gain an advantage that was enough to win that chapter. One set separated him from the semifinals and reaching 15 wins in a row in the tournament to break the tournament record that he shares with Nadal.

Everything changed at the start of the second set, after Rublev stole his serve and went up 2-0. That break marked -precisely- a break in the match.

Alcaraz -who will leave the top 3 if Daniil Medvedev He gets into the semis this Thursday – he left the game. He lost confidence and efficiency with his serve, began to make more errors and was not as sharp as usual with his shots. And he practically handed the reins of the game to Rublev, who did not let his moment pass.

Concentrated, more regular and with high-level tennis, the Russian unbalanced with his serve and with deep balls – especially played to the corners – that were unattainable for the Spaniard. Although the key to his enormous comeback was mental.

“The serve saved me many times. and I was able to serve even better near the end. At first, I didn’t serve that well, but little by little, after the first set, I served better and better and finished really well. But the most important thing is that I was completely calm the entire game. I didn’t say a word, even though I was losing. That was the key. I had no energy or power to do anything but just focus on the game. “I didn’t have the energy to complain today.”commented the world number eight, smiling, who usually tends to lose focus and complain a lot when things don’t go his way.

He didn’t do it against Alcaraz. With that break starter took over the second set. And in the third he also started with a lead, 2-0, and then stretched the difference with another break in the fifth (4-1), to put his victory on track, which was important for him.

Because it was the first against a top 3 since the end of 2022, when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipaswho at that time occupied the last step of the classification podium, in the round robin of the ATP Finals in Turin. And because he allowed him to end a streak of four defeats in a row, since he had arrived in Madrid after losing in his second appearance in Indian Wells and fall into their debuts in Miami, Montecarlo y Barcelona.

“One week can change everything,” said Rublev, who arrived in Madrid on a four-match losing streak. Photo EFE/JuanJo Martín

“One week can change everything. It’s better not to think too much. Because maybe this week everything goes well and next week it changes. It happened to me at the beginning of the season, I thought everything was going very well and then I spent six weeks without winning anything. There is no It’s not good or bad, these are moments that all players go through. The important thing is to keep working and improving,” commented the player who will seek the semi-finals against him. Francisco Cerúndolo21st preclassified, the Taylor Fritz12°.

Beyond the very good match that Rublev played, Alcaraz’s drop in level after the first set was surprising. What happened to the Murcian? He told it himself.

“Perhaps, mentally I was a little weaker than at other times. I complained more. It hurts me a lot to have options and not take advantage of them, especially if it is for me. If the other player plays a good point, I applaud him and the next one. But if I fail, I whip myself. Someone like Rublev gives you few opportunities, and if you miss them, it hurts. “I should have been tougher mentally, and maybe that took its toll on me.”he acknowledged.

Did you get that discomfort in your right forearm that has been bothering you for a few weeks? “The forearm was there, there, and the game against (Jan Lennard) took its toll on me a bit. Struff. It had been a while since I had a game this demanding and I woke up with pain all over my body. On top of that I have a bit of a cold. I’m not going to take away from Rublev’s game. He served incredible and that was key. Plus he hit in good positions as long as someone like him does that, it’s almost impossible to beat him. But the truth is, it was a difficult match for me,” he explained.

“It was a difficult match for me. Mentally I was weaker,” Alcaraz admitted. Photo REUTERS/Susana Vera

Beyond the defeat, which hurts him, Alcaraz – who had been lost Montecarlo y Barcelona because of that discomfort in his arm – assured that it was a “positive week.”

“One day before starting the tournament I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play. The first time I touched the racket after a week was here, hitting it very softly. And I reached the quarterfinals, with several matches at a good level, so it has been positive. When I enter the court I don’t like to lose, it doesn’t matter if I don’t have the best feelings. But, overall, it was a good week. I arrived without touching a racket, playing quarterfinals and losing to Rublev in three sets, it is a positive tournament“he analyzed.

And he warned: “Now, to continue working to see if I can recover my normal right and without thinking about the forearm. I am going to go to Roma, I am going to work to get closer to one hundred percent and I will decide these days. “I think I’ll be fine to play there.”

Sinner, out without playing

After beating in the round of 16 Karen Khachanov in a very tough match, which was won 5-7, 6-3 and 6-3, Jannik Sinner He had announced that this Wednesday he would make a decision about his continuity in Madrid. The Italian had been suffering for a couple of rounds with discomfort in his right hip. And, aware of the important commitments that are coming in the coming months, he did not want to risk and withdrew from the tournament.

Very sad to have to withdraw from my next match here in Madrid. My hip has been bothering me this week and has slowly been getting more painful. Taking the advice from the doctors we decided it’s best to not play further and make it worse. pic.twitter.com/QJX9WVA4Np

— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) May 1, 2024

“It is very sad to have to withdraw from my next match here in Madrid. My hip has been bothering me this week and little by little it has been hurting more. Following the advice of the doctors, we decided that it was best not to play anymore and make things worse.”he commented in a message he shared on his social networks.

Sinner had already arrived injured for Tuesday’s duel with Khachanov. After beating the Russian, he said: “I decided to play after today’s warm-up because I saw that I was prepared. I knew I would suffer, but I accepted it. My physio and I did a lot of work yesterday, it was a long night, but it is what expresses my I tried to recover, sleep well and today we also did a couple of different exercises to try to be well. I hope to be better tomorrow and then I will make a decision.

The situation in the end did not improve and the Italian stepped aside and handed over to the Canadian Auger Aliassime, whom he had to face this Thursday, the semi-finals.

“I’m not afraid that it will get too bad, but we have to think twice because now Rome is coming and Roland Garrosafter Wimbledon and then the Olympic Games“, had said.

2024-05-01 18:59:09
#Rublev #eliminated #Alcaraz #Sinner