The men’s championship match will be played on Sunday evening in Madrid.
Carlos Alcaraz is just one match away from becoming the only man to defend the Madrid Open title not named Rafael Nadal, his idol. And he will be a strong favorite on Sunday against Jan-Lennard Struff, the first lucky loser to ever advance to a Masters 1000 final.
Also on Sunday, the women’s doubles championship will be decided between four of the top 16 singles players in the world, as it’s Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula (1) vs. Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia (OSE). Gauff and Pegula have already won two titles this year, while this is the first tournament for the partnership of Azarenka and Haddad Maia.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff (LL) – Not Before 6:30pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Alcaraz is now an excellent 28-2 in 2023, and 18-1 on clay. He has reached the semifinals or better in all six tournaments he’s entered. Carlitos in on a 20-match win streak in his home country. He is 9-3 in finals, and 3-0 in Masters finals.
Struff is 34-12 this season at all levels, but was just 5-6 at tour-level prior to this fortnight. While this run to the final is shocking, he did show signs of success like this a few weeks ago in Monte Carlo, when he reached the quarterfinals by defeating the likes of Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud. This is only the 33-year-old’s second career ATP final, after losing to Nikoloz Basilashvili two years ago in Munich on this same surface.
These players have split two previous meetings, both of which occurred at Majors. Two years ago at Roland Garros, Struff prevailed in straight sets. Last year at Wimbledon, Alcaraz prevailed in five sets.
That prior victory on clay, as well as their tight affair just 10 months ago on grass, will provide Jan-Lennard with a certain amount of confidence on this day. And if the German can convince himself he has nothing to lose, he may play quite freely. As per the ATP, he’s been a clutch player throughout this event, winning 92% of his service games, and saving 81% of break points. However, maintaining those numbers against the uber-talented Alcaraz, in the biggest match of Struff’s life, will be a tall task. Carlitos remains a favorite to defend his Madrid Open title.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
