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Spaniard earns 17th straight win on Spanish soil
After escaping Emil Ruusuvuori in a three-set comeback to begin his title defence at the Mutua Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the last 16 with a thoroughly entertaining win on Sunday against Grigor Dimitrov. In a 6-2, 7-5 victory, the stylish Alcaraz imposed his athletic game to make a fast start then showed his grit to instantly recover a break in the second set.

He will next face Alexander Zverev in a rematch of last year's Madrid final, won by Alcaraz in straight sets. Zverev leads the ATP Head2Head 3-1, including a win in their most recent meeting in last year's Roland Garros quarter-finals.

"I really want to play that match. We played a few times, head-to-head he is up," Alcaraz said of the showdown encounter. "I really want to show my great level here in front of my home crowd. I have great memories from last year in the final but obviously I have to be really focussed in that match. I know that Sascha is a really good player, a really aggressive one with good serves. I have to show all my skills."

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Alcaraz is seeking to complete the Barcelona-Madrid double for the second straight season after retaining the title at the Barcelona ATP 500 last Sunday. He has won 17 straight matches on Spanish soil across four campaigns and must push that number to 21 to earn the title in Madrid.

Picking up where he left off in closing out Ruusuvuori, Alcaraz used his all-action game to take command against Dimitrov in a one-sided opening set on Manolo Santana stadium.

Alcaraz spoke before the tournament about feeling motivation rather than pressure from the expectant Spanish crowd, and he showed it by playing freely against the Bulgarian. A highlight moment came early on when he brandished his racquet like a magic wand, feigning a cross-court slice before lifting a down-the-line pass beyond his stranded opponent.


Alcaraz continued to thrill his home crowd throughout the match, with the aggressive Dimitrov playing his part by forcing the Spaniard to rely on his world-class speed and defensive skills. The top seed kept a smile on his face throughout the 90-minute contest and raced through the finish line by winning five of the last six games.


THAT. IS. A. STEAL@carlosalcaraz

Today vs Dimitrov 45% (21/47)
Alcaraz avg. 39%
Tour avg. 32%#StealScore calculates how often a player has won the point when they are in defence during the point.#TennisInsights | @atptour |… https://t.co/04DJbMHFig

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) April 30, 2023
The opponents are good friends and have practised together this week in Madrid, an experience Alcaraz said helped him fine-tune his tactics.

"When we practised, it helped me a lot in the tactical game, what I had to do," he said. "Obviously I was focussed on myself all the time, trying to hit the ball really clear and with a lot of power. That was the goal at the beginning of the match, trying to play aggressive all the time."

Dimitrov was seeking to repeat his heroics from 2013 in Madrid, when he beat then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for his biggest win. He was denied a fourth win against a Top 2 opponent and stopped two rounds short of matching his Madrid quarter-final run from 2015.

Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo meet top seed
The admiration for Carlos Alcaraz in the world of sports knows no bounds. On Sunday, several Real Madrid players made the trip to Manolo Santana Stadium to cheer on the Spaniard during his third-round clash in the Mutua Madrid Open.

The Murcia native, a self-confessed fan of the Whites, enjoyed the special support from courtside. Real Madrid players Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo were among those who watched the defending champion’s match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.

Just 19 years of age and a huge football fan, Alcaraz was delighted to have them on his side.

“I still get nervous, I’m not going to lie”, admitted Alcaraz, who had the chance to say hello to the players before leaving for the locker room. “Seeing giants like them in the stands… I’m so happy that they would come to see my match.”

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The No. 2 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings took the chance to wish the Real Madrid players good luck for the next few weeks, when they will face one of the biggest challenges of the season in their Champions League semi-final.

“We spoke about how well I played today, and their latest results,” revealed Alcaraz in his post-match press conference. “We discussed what is coming up for them against [Manchester] City. I wished them luck and they did likewise to me.”

This is not the first time Alcaraz has shows signs of his close connections with the club from the Spanish capital. The Murcia native, who is good friends with a number of members of the team, is a loyal fan. Last season, among other occasions, he went to the Champions League final in Paris during Roland Garros and watched Real Madrid seal their 35th league title.