Tennis: Alcaraz earns Zverev revenge, Medvedev out of Madrid Open

MADRID, Spain -- World number two Carlos Alcaraz breezed past Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Third-ranked Daniil Medvedev crashed out against Russian compatriot Aslan Karatsev, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, while Stefanos Tsitsipas eased through against Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-1.

In the women's competition world number two Aryna Sabalenka was forced to sweat by Mayar Sherif but eventually came through 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the semi-finals.

Top-seeded Spaniard Alcaraz, who also beat Zverev in last season's Madrid final, gained revenge for the German's triumph when they met later in the 2022 French Open quarter-finals.

Two-time Madrid winner Zverev, 26, was blown away in the opening set. He improved a little in the second but not sufficiently to trouble Alcaraz, who moved his opponent around at will.

"I played at a great level, I didn't let him dominate, I went on the attack the whole time, and above all, I returned really well," said Alcaraz, who won in one hour 22 minutes.

"I played a complete game, and that's how we have this result -- but it's not a normal result against (Zverev)."

The US Open champion dropped just two points in the first set in his near-immaculate service games, and put strong pressure on the German's serve.

Alcaraz converted his third break point to take a 2-0 lead in the 11-minute second game, before wresting another from Zverev for 5-1, consolidating to take the set.

The duo traded blows on serve at the start of the second set before Alcaraz carved out a break for 3-2 when Zverev sent a forehand return wide.

Alcaraz again broke for a 5-2 lead with a neat forehand down the line and triumphed on serve when Zverev batted a return long.

In the last eight, the Murcian will face Karen Khachanov who dispatched Andrey Rublev 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 in another all-Russian battle.

Medvedev, second seed in the Spanish capital, has admitted he struggles on clay and fell to another defeat against Karatsev on the dirt, as he did in Rome two seasons ago.

Karatsev triumphed comfortably in the first set tie-break, his ball striking immaculate throughout the clash, hitting 28 winners to just four unforced errors.

Ranked 121st in the world, the qualifier broke the 2021 US Open winner for 3-2 in the second set and only dropped two points on his serve after that to progress.

"Feeling great, playing well, I just have to focus every match. I'll be preparing for the next round," said Karatsev.

He will face Zhizhen Zhang, who became the first Chinese player to reach the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 event.

Zhang eked out a nailbiting victory over world number 10 Taylor Fritz, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (10/8).

World number five Tsitsipas will face lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff, who saw off Pedro Cachin 7-6 (9/7), 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.

The other quarter-final pits Croatian Borna Coric, ranked 20th, against Germany's Daniel Altmaier.

- Slow start -

Australian Open champion Sabalenka struggled badly at first against Sherif but turned the two-hour match around convincingly to reach the semi-finals.

"I was just trying to keep fighting to keep playing my game and find my rhythm," said Sabalenka.

"She's a clay court specialist and I'm very happy with this win. It was a very tough one."

Sherif, the first Egyptian to reach a WTA 1000 quarter-final, capitalized on Sabalenka's erratic start to break in the first game.

The 26-year-old became the first player to take a set off Sabalenka in Madrid.

However the Belarusian, 24, bounced back strongly, converting all four of her break points in the second set and hitting 10 winners to Sherif's one to force a third.

The 2021 Madrid winner was a break down at 2-1 in the second but won 11 of the next 12 games, dominating her opponent in the third set.

Sabalenka will face Greek world number nine Maria Sakkari after she came from behind to beat Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-2 in the second quarter-final.

Agence France-Presse

Alexander Zverev saves 2 match points, beats Jarry to win Geneva title

GENEVA — Alexander Zverev saved two match points after waiting out two long rain delays to win his first title this season, beating Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8) in the Geneva Open final on Saturday.

Fifth-ranked Zverev clinched when Jarry sent a forehand long after more than 2 ½ hours on court and almost six hours after play began.

It was the German’s 11th career title, worth 90,000 euros ($101,000) prize money, and first since November at the season-ending ATP Finals in London.

Zverev struggled through a second set interrupted by two rain delays of at least an hour before 75th-ranked Jarry levelled.

The Chilean has lost both finals he reached on tour. His next opponent, at the French Open that begins on Sunday, is eighth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Resurgent Federer advances to Montreal final

Swiss superstar Roger Federer turned in a precision performance Saturday at the ATP Montreal tennis, using thundering serves and clever backhands to defeat unseeded Robin Haase for a spot in the final.


The 36-year-old Federer blasted nine aces and lost just nine points on his serve as he extended his match win streak to 16 — his longest win streak in five years.

He raised his game to another level when it mattered most, beating Netherlands Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in just 75 minutes.

“I’m very excited to be back in the finals,” Federer said. “A bit surprising, to be quite honest, because I hadn’t practiced much.”

Federer has taken more time off this year than usual. He skipped the clay-court season from April to mid-June.

“I came from vacation, did some fitness, saw how I was feeling and said, ‘You know what, I practiced so much the last year, let’s go play some matches.’

“It’s a big bonus right now and I hope I can play as free as I have so far in the finals tomorrow.”

Second seeded Federer will clash on Sunday with German Alexander Zverev who ended the Cinderella run of 18-year old Canadian Denis Shapovalov with a 6-4, 7-5 win in the other semi-final.

Federer is undergoing a resurgence this season after it appeared to many he might be slowing down as he transitions through his mid-30s.

“Confidence can get you a long way, and if you’re feeling fine physically and you are ready to fight mentally you have a lot of things in the bag,” said Federer, who would earn the second seed at the upcoming US Open if he wins in Montreal.

“And then the only thing that maybe is missing is practice, but sometimes practice is overrated. It’s all about the matches at some stage.

“I’m happy I’m playing as well as I am this year on the match courts. At the end that’s what matters because I spent hours and hours on the practice courts in the last year.”

The 19-time Grand Slam winner Federer is seeking his 27th Masters 1000 title and his third Canadian Masters crown after wins in 2004 and 2006.

Haase, who hit 17 winners, made a late charge and forced a second-set tiebreak before Federer stymied the challenge to win the match.

Zverev, 20, will have a much tougher time against the skilled veteran Federer than he did in beating Shapovalov.

‘Life-changing week’

Zverev came into Montreal with four titles this season while Shapovalov had just three career match victories. Shapovalov leaves Montreal with seven career wins, including a shocking upset of 10-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.

“It is a completely life-changing week,” said Shapovalov, whose dream run this week also included a win over former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro.

The fourth seeded Zverev broke Shapovalov at 4-4 in the first set then served for the set to silence the partisan crowd.

Ultimately, Zverev played better in the key moments, finishing with two aces, winning 81 percent of his first-serve points and breaking the Canadian three times.

Shapovalov finished with three aces, six double faults and won 64 percent of his first-serve points in the one-hour, 43-minute match.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Zverev becomes youngest Masters finalist in 10 years

ROME, Italy — Germany’s Alexander Zverev became the youngest player in a decade to reach a Masters final when he clinched a gutsy 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 win over big-serving American John Isner in Rome on Saturday.

Zverev, 20, will meet either four-time winner Novak Djokovic or Austria’s Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic was the previous youngest Masters finalist, going all the way to the title in Miami as a 19-year-old in 2007.

Zverev and Djokovic have never played but Thiem leads their head-to-head 4-1, including all three meetings on clay.

Zverev will climb to a new career high in the rankings at number 14 by reaching the final and would break into the top 10 with the title.

Djokovic, the second seed and the only previous Masters winner still in contention, plays eighth seed Thiem later Saturday after completing his rain-interrupted quarter-final against Juan Martin del Potro to beat the unseeded Argentinian 6-1, 6-4.

Thiem, beaten to the Madrid Masters title by Rafael Nadal last week, avenged his loss by dumping Spain’s former seven-time Rome champion out in the quarters on Friday.

Second-ranked Djokovic had taken a one-set lead over Del Potro, who held a 2-1 lead in the second set before heavy rain and lightning halted play on Friday.

In the WTA event, French Open champion Garbine Muguruza was forced to retire due to a neck injury from her semi-final against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

The Spanish third seed was 1-4 down after just 22 minutes in the first set when she quit, handing the eighth-seeded Svitolina a place in Sunday’s final against Romania’s Simona Halep.

Svitolina will chase a fourth title of the year after trophy triumphs in Taiwan, Dubai and Istanbul.

Muguruza had needed three sets to beat Venus Williams in the quarter-finals on Friday night.

Sixth-seeded Halep, the champion in Madrid last weekend, reached her first final in Rome after sweeping aside Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 7-5, 6-1 in her semi-final.

“Sometimes a win over a top player gives you confidence,” Halep said after her semi-final.

“Sometimes the work you do before the tournaments gives you confidence that you are ready to go. Sometimes just winning some matches, tough ones, even if in three sets, those are the most important matches.”

source: sports.inquirer.net