Madrid – defending champion Carlos Alcaraz passed the tough test Karen Khachanov rallied late in the second set to win 6-4, 7-5 on his way to the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Alcaraz was down 4–1 and 5–2 in the final set before winning the last five games to earn his fourth straight set victory in Madrid. The top-seeded Spaniard improved to 27-2 this year, dropping only one set in his last 19 wins. He will play in his third Masters 1000 semi-final of the season.
Alcaraz said, “I knew I had to keep fighting no matter what.” “I had to stay strong because I knew I would get chances, and happily I took the first one which cost me the match.”
Alcaraz converted on his first match point after 10th seed Khachanov took control of the second set with an early break. The Russians had two break opportunities to go up 5–1 before Alcaraz rallied for the win. The Spaniard, who finished with 31 winners, went up 4-3 on his first break opportunity to win the first set.
Alcaraz’s next match will either be seeded 17th Borna Couric or lucky loser Daniel AltmayerWho will play later on Thursday.
“This win will give me a lot of confidence,” said Alcaraz, who turns 20 on Friday. “Karen was playing at a great level and took me to the limit. The match was decided on small details. They had chances to win the second set but it came down to details. A player like Karen.”
Alcaraz beat last year’s runner-up alexander zverev in the previous round, while Khachanov – a semifinalist at the Australian Open this year and the US Open last year – was seeded fifth Andrey Rublev,
Having already lifted the trophy at Indian Wells, Alcaraz is seeking to become the first player to win two Masters 1000 titles this season. He successfully defended his title in Barcelona and also won in Buenos Aires.
If Alcaraz wins the title again in Madrid and plays at least one match in Rome, he will regain the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
veronika kudermetova Reached the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time after defeating the third seed jessica pegula 6–4, 0–6, 6–4 in the women’s quarterfinals.
12th seed Kudermetova sealed her victory with an ace on her second match point to set up a semifinal match against No. 1 No. inga swotek Or petra marticWho will play later on Wednesday.
Pegula was looking to reach her second consecutive final in Madrid. was the runner-up of jabur Last year in clay court tournament.
It was the fourth consecutive three set victory for Kudermetova.
“I am feeling very happy and proud because in every match I took three sets,” said Kudermetova. “Before this match, every match was around three hours. Today only two hours, I feel fresh.”
She reached three quarterfinals at the WTA 1000 level or above in 2022, including at Roland Garros for her best run at a Grand Slam. The 26-year-old Kudermetova reached two other semi-finals this year in Adelaide and Doha. He entered the tournament in Madrid on a four-match losing streak.
Pegula struggled on her serve and showed frustration at times, including dropping her racket to the ground. She was broken three times in both the first and third sets, although she only needed 22 minutes to take the second set as Kudermetova won only five points.
Was the last player to reach the semifinals of Madrid by winning four straight three set matches Dominika Cibulkova in 2016, when he Simona Halep,
The other women’s semi-final match will be played between the second seeded Aryan Sabalenka and seeded ninth Maria Sakkari,
