MADRID — Carlos Alcaraz made sure he wouldn’t be among the top seeds being upset at the Madrid Open on Tuesday, playing well from the start to secure his spot in the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Alexander Zverev.
After both second-seeded Daniil Medvedev and fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev lost their fourth-round matches at the clay-court tournament, Alcaraz cruised past 13th-seeded Zverev to stay on track to defend his title at home.
It was a rematch of last year’s Madrid final, which Alcaraz also comfortably won against the former two-time champion in the Spanish capital.
“For me it’s amazing to play the level that I played today,” Alcaraz said. “I feel really good right now and this match gives me a lot of confidence.”
Alcaraz didn’t concede any break opportunities against Zverev and converted on four of the 10 break chances he had. The 19-year-old Spanish player ended with 21 winners and 12 unforced errors. Zverev had only nine winners and 22 unforced errors.
“This is not a normal result. Zverev is a great player and has great shots — it would be more normal to be a tighter match, and I was prepared for it,” the second-ranked Alcaraz said. “I played well. I kept attacking and didn’t let him take control, especially on his serve. I played a complete match, that’s why the result was like that.”
Alcaraz, coming off the title in Barcelona, has won 18th straight matches in Spain.
Women’s second seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the last four after trailing Mayar Sherif by a set and a break. Sabalenka rallied to beat the Egyptian player 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. The Australian Open champion reached her fifth semifinal in seven tournaments. She won Madrid in 2021.
The 59th-ranked Sherif was the first Egyptian to make it to the quarterfinals in a WTA 1000 event.
“It was crazy match. I think she played unbelievable tennis. It was really tough today,” Sabalenka said. “I just couldn’t adjust for her game, and I was really going crazy. I’m really happy that I was able to stop myself, to take a little breath and just like start everything from the beginning.”
Sabalenka will next face ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari, who rallied to defeat Irina-Camelia Begu 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2.
Medvedev lost to 121st-ranked qualifier Aslan Karatsev, a fellow Russian, 7-6 (1), 6-4. It was Karatsev’s first victory against a top-10 opponent since 2021.
Medvedev complained of the small dimensions of the Arantxa Sanchez Vicario court, saying he should have played on center court as the No. 2…
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