Carlos Alcaraz gets gigantically forced by Khachanov

Carlos Alcaraz, the world number two, the defending champion, qualified for the semi-finals Madrid Masters 1,000 with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over the Russian Karen Khachanov, This cost his defeat dearly and spoiled the Spaniard’s rhythm at various stages of the game.

Faced with adversity, Alcaraz excelled in an hour and 50 minutes of relentless dedication that booked him a place in the semi-finals on Friday, his 20th birthday, when he will face the winner of the clash against Croatian Borna Coric (17 holders) and German Daniel Altmayer, restored from the previous phase.

Khachanov was the highest-ranked opponent (12) of anyone Alcaraz faced on the other side of the net during the past week.

He lost a set in his first match of this edition, against Finn Emil Ruusuvuori; he lost seven games in the round of 16, against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov; and only three in the round of 16 against the German Alexander Zverev. They are in positions 41, 32 and 16, respectively.

Against Khachanov (26), who played for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournament on clay, he lost nine games and was about to surrender the set, but with five games in a row he came back from a 5-2 deficit. it seemed irreversible, because Hačanov was relentlessly pressuring him.

Alcaraz’s first games were not the most brilliant in his time in Madrid. Khachanov’s forehand punished his backhand, with very tight balls that Murcian had to forcefully return. He resorted to several defensive shots that raised a murmur in the stands, due to the unusual sight of that shot from Alcaraz’s racket.

He also missed two drop shots before finally getting his first in Game 5.

He came in the seventh break, after the best point in the previous part of the match, a corner opened by the Spaniard, who nailed the net with a masterful cross.

Despite the fact that the Russian started after the break ball, Alcaraz canceled it with a great returner, and then confirmed the game with two great serves. The set fell to his side without further mishap.

Khachanov, whom Alcaraz has already beaten twice, both last year on clay (Hamburg and Roland Garros) without losing a set, had his moment when he took a 4-1 lead with a break in the second set. He had two more break points to lead 5-1, but Alcaraz’s transformation then reached its fullness: with a catalog of parallels, drop shots and devastating rests, he closed in on his opponent and returned the ball. break at nine.

There were more surprises in his hat, which he pulled out until he signed four games in a row that put him in position to pull off the win. That’s what he did, on the first match ball that came his way.

Alcaraz continues his quest for his fourth Masters 1000 title, following Miami and Madrid in 2022 and Indian Wells in 2023.

Against Khachanov, he suffered to break a very experienced rival, who at least once reached the quarterfinals of the four Grand Slam tournaments, something Alcaraz still can’t say. He is also the current Olympic runner-up.

With just one loss on clay this season, against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the final in Rio in February, Alcaraz earned his 17th win of the year on the orange clay on Wednesday.

Four hours before the match, he did a light training session with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrer. In an excellent mood, he joked with the audience who, almost as the session ended, entered the Caja Mágica and came to see him. When they congratulated him on his birthday, he remembered that there were still two days left until the celebration. They will be able to celebrate it with a new semi-final in Madrid, and perhaps by advancing to the final.