Lucky loser Struff reaches maiden Masters 1000 final
Jan‐Lennard Struff became the first lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final on Friday when he moved past qualifier Aslan Karatsev 4‐6, 6‐3, 6‐4 at the Mutua Madrid Open.
Last week, Karatsev defeated Struff in the final round of quali‐ fying to advance to the main draw.
Ten days on and the players were competing in their first ATP Masters 1000 semi‐final after earning a series of stunning wins in the Spanish capital.
In front of a packed Manolo Santana Stadium, Struff gained revenge to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
After struggling to deal with
Karatsev’s pace in the first set, the German readjusted and pro‐ duced a clean‐hitting and aggres‐ sive display in the second and third sets to blast a tiring Karat‐ sev off court.
The 33‐year‐old struck 36 win‐ ners and broke the qualifier’s serve three times to advance to his second tour‐level champi‐ onship match.
With his two‐hour, 18‐minute win, Struff has climbed to No. 28 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
The German, who reached a previous career‐high No. 29 in August 2020, will play for his first tour‐level title when he faces de‐ fending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.
Earlier, on the attack during most of his semifinal win at the Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz pro‐ duced his best slice after the match.
Alcaraz was presented with a cake on center court to celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday after beating 17th‐seeded Borna Coric 6‐4, 6‐3.
After staring at the gargantuan cake whose top was shaped like a tennis ball crowned by the number 20, Alcaraz took a knife and deftly cleaved off a thin piece to give it a try.
The second‐ranked Alcaraz will face Jan‐Lennard Struff on Sun‐ day.