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Carlos Alcaraz has moved to within one set of capturing his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he leads German lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4.

The 20-year-old is aiming to join Rafael Nadal as the only consecutive Madrid champions in tournament history, while he is trying to become the youngest player to successfully defend an ATP Masters 1000 title since Nadal at Monte-Carlo and Rome in 2005-06.

If Alcaraz can clinch his 29th win of the season and 10th tour-level crown, he will rise to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after playing his opening match in Rome.

The defending champion survived an attacking bombardment from the big-serving German throughout the 53-minute first set, hanging in rallies with his exceptional agility to force Struff into errors. Alcaraz gained what proved to be the decisive break of the first set at 3-3 when Struff double faulted, battled from 0/40 to hold when serving for the set.

Alcaraz, who is on a 20-match winning streak in Spanish clay-court events, is locked at 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Struff. The German is the first lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final since the series started in 1990 and is aiming to become just the fourth player and first in more than 20 years to win his first tour-level trophy at an ATP Masters 1000.

Andy Murray overcame a slow start and World No. 17 Tommy Paul to triumph Sunday at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Aix-en-Provence.

In front of a packed stadium in southern France, the Scot found consistency from the baseline to rally to a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory against top seed Paul at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.

“This last year, 18 months has been a bit of struggle with my game. But [my team] have been there supporting me and working with me to try and get better,” Murray said during the trophy presentation. “We keep going from here.”

Sunday's final between Andy Murray and Tommy Paul filled the stands in Aix-en-Provence. Credit: Jared Wickerham/ATP Tour

Murray earned his third Top-20 win of the season Sunday by defeating the World No. 17 Paul en route to capturing his third Challenger title and first since the Binghamton Challenger in 2005.

Nearly 24 hours after winning a four-hour quarter-final marathon, Ugo Humbert returned to court Saturday, when he advanced to the championship match at the Sardegna Open. The Frenchman will fight for the title against Laslo Djere, who rallied to upset second seed Ben Shelton at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Cagliari.

The Frenchman Humbert ousted Daniel Elahi Galan 6-2, 7-6(3). Despite holding a 5-2 lead in the second set, including a match point on serve at 5-4, the 24-year-old was pushed to a tie-break before closing out the match in one hour, 41 minutes; a sharp contrast to Humbert’s four-hour, 13-minute victory against Taro Daniel in the quarter-finals, where he saved three match points to survive.

“I was just trying to do my best every point, even if I was serving for the match,” Humbert said in his post-match press conference. “You have to stay focused and wait for a good opportunity.”

Humbert, a seven-time Challenger champion, will aim for his first clay-court title in Sunday’s final.

“Normally I only win one or two matches on clay per year, but I’m enjoying it this year,” Humbert said. “Super proud to be in the final.”

Fans at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Aix-en-Provence, France are in for a treat Sunday, when three-time major champion Andy Murray and World No. 17 Tommy Paul will battle for the title.

Murray and Paul both earned straight-set victories in Saturday’s semifinals at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole. The Briton Murray displayed superb all-court coverage and fended off all four break points faced to down home hope Harold Mayot 7-5, 6-1.

Mayot, 21, showed a variety of tactics, often deploying drop shots and working his way forward in his first Challenger semi-final of the year.

Top seed Paul, who is yet to drop a set this week, defeated David Goffin 6-4, 6-2 in the last four after the American won 54 per cent of return points.

“Goffin is an unreal player, he’s had an unreal career,” Paul said. “I think I returned really well and played the big points well. There were a couple times where I was down break point and I came up with a first serve. I was really happy with that.”

Typically you call someone a loser at your own peril.

But in tennis, when a player is told by tournament officials that he is a ‘lucky loser’, those two words are music to his ears.

A lucky loser is a player who lost in the qualifying rounds but later was given passage into the main draw following a player’s withdrawal from the main draw, typically due to illness or injury.

On Sunday, German Jan-Lennard Struff will attempt to become the first lucky loser to win an ATP Masters 1000 title when he plays top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the Mutua Madrid Open final. In the semi-finals, Struff also had the rare satisfaction of avenging his defeat in the final round of qualifying to Aslan Karatsev.

[ATP APP]

Long-time friends Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev captured their first tour-level doubles title together Saturday when they defeated seventh seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 6-3, 3-6, 10-3 at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Competing in front of a lively crowd on Manolo Santana Stadium, the singles stars produced a strong serving performance to triumph after 71 minutes. They won 83 per cent (25/30) of their first-serve points and raced away in the Match Tie-break to seal victory.

Khachanov and Rublev showed grit throughout their run to the trophy, earning Match Tie-break wins in four of their five matches. They also defeated seeds Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer.

[ATP APP]

Khachanov and Rublev were competing in their third ATP Masters 1000 final, having advanced to the championship match in Miami in 2018 and Paris in 2019. With their victory, Rublev has now won four doubles trophies. It is Khachanov’s first tour-level doubles title.

Carlos Alcaraz and lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff will chase history when they meet in the Mutua Madrid Open final on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Alcaraz triumphed in the Spanish capital 12 months ago and is trying to become just the second player alongside Rafael Nadal to clinch consecutive crowns at the clay-court event. On the other side of the net, the 33-year-old Struff is aiming to become the first lucky loser to win an ATP Masters 1000 title since the series began in 1990.

Despite being 13 years his junior, Alcaraz has the edge against Struff when it comes to big-match experience. The four-time ATP Masters 1000 champion is competing in his 13th tour-level final and is chasing his 10th title. If he wins the trophy, the Spaniard can seal his return to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, 22 May simply by playing a match later this month at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. In contrast, Struff is making just his second appearance in a tour-level final, having lost in the Munich title match in 2021.

With an expectant home crowd set to roar the Spaniard on inside Manolo Santana Stadium, Alcaraz is relishing the chance to shine on the big stage once again.

“I enjoy playing here in Madrid. I always try to make [the fans] happy and myself happy as well,” said Alcaraz, when asked about the pressure of playing at home. “I don’t think about the pressure here, I just think about playing a great game, getting good results. It’s a really special place for me, I enjoy every second here, so that’s all I think about.”

Back in 2003, a then-16-year-old Andy Murray made his ATP Challenger Tour debut when he competed in Manchester. Since then, the Scot has gone on to reach the pinnacle of the game. He has risen to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and lifted 46 tour-level titles, including 14 ATP Masters 1000 crowns and three Grand Slams.

This week, the Scot is once game competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, advancing to the semi-finals in Aix en Provence in France. While at the Challenger 175, Murray took time to reminisce on his early Challenger Tour days.

A launching pad to greatness ??@andy_murray takes a stroll down Challenger memory lane ?#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/oYDuxC728A

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 5, 2023

“My first memories of playing on the Challenger Tour were in Manchester,” Murray said. “I played a grass-court challenger there and I had my dad there as my tennis coach. He is not a tennis player or a coach but he was there with me.

“I remember being unbelievably shy. I didn’t ask anyone to warm up with me before my match, so I had my dad throwing balls to me out of a shopping bag and I ended up actually getting a couple of good wins there.”

Former pro Tony Graham, who was a long-time friend of Vitas Gerulaitis, John McEnroe and everyone in U.S. tennis circles, passed away on Tuesday aged 66.

The two-time All-American at UCLA, who reached the 1977 NCAA singles final (l. to Matt Mitchell) before a five-season pro career, was front and centre each day for more than 30 years at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and at the US Open.

Graham rose to a career-high No. 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and beat John Alexander, Jimmy Arias and Johan Kriek, en route to losing to Brian Gottfried in the 1981 Stowe singles final. He captured two tour-level doubles titles at 1980 Lagos (w/Bruce Nichols) and 1981 Maui (w/Mitchell).

Trey Waltke, who first met Graham aged 15 at the US National Indoors and later became roommates, told ATPTour.com, “He was a big guy, who had a lot of touch. He didn’t hit the ball super hard, but he had good hands and a great lob. He had a good serve; he really had no weakness. The backhand lob was special, he could put it on a dime, and he covered the net well.”

Graham started playing tennis against a wall aged 12, and later ranked in the Top 10 under-16 players in the United States. With little family support, Graham trained with the likes of Chris Lewis and Bruce Manson at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. He turned pro after the 1978 US Open, having gone 59-6 at UCLA across three seasons.

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 qualifying 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 and move to within one win of his first title. After struggling to deal with Karatsev’s pace in the first set, the German readjusted and produced a clean-hitting and aggressive display in the second and third sets to blast a tiring Karatsev off court. The 33-year-old struck 37 winners and broke the qualifier’s serve three times to advance to his second tour-level championship match.

"It is amazing," Struff said. "I didn't think about this. I played one final before in Munich [2021] but there was no crowd because of Covid. Now I am here and [there is] an amazing crowd. I think on Sunday it will also be a very good crowd. I am very happy to reach a final and very happy with the win."

With his two-hour, 18-minute victory, 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 defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.

Twenty consecutive ATP Tour wins on Spanish soil for the 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.

The top seed celebrated his birthday with another relentless performance in his homeland on Friday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he overcame stiff resistance from Borna Coric to complete a 6-4, 6-3 semi-final victory at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000.

Alcaraz had to be at his best to overcome a resolute display from Coric. The extra variety in the Spaniard’s game proved key to his triumph, as he frequently pulled the energetic Coric around Manolo Santana Stadium and converted four of six break points to seal victory in one hour, 41 minutes.

Having successfully defended his Barcelona crown two weeks ago, Alcaraz will bid for his fourth consecutive ATP Tour title in Spain on Sunday when he takes on Aslan Karatsev or Jan-Lennard Struff in the championship match. Should he defend the trophy at the Caja Magica, the Spaniard can return to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings simply by playing a match at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia later this month.

More to follow…

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The 10-time Rome champion has been dealing with a leg injury that he suffered at the Australian Open in January.

"Hello everyone! I'm so sorry to announce that I won't be able to play in Rome," wrote Nadal in Spanish on social media. "You all know how much it hurts me to miss another of the tournaments that has been so important to me, both professionally and personally, because of all the affection and support of the Italian fans.

"Despite having noticed an improvement in the last few days, it has been many months since I’ve been able to train at a high level and the adaptation process takes time. All that is left for me to do is accept it and keep working. Best wishes to everyone."

¡Hola a todos!
Siento mucho anunciar que no voy a poder estar en Roma. Todos sabéis cuánto me duele perderme otro de los torneos que han marcado mi carrera profesional y personal por todo el cariño y apoyo de los tifosi italianos. pic.twitter.com/attH8MQWU4

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) May 5, 2023

In Nadal’s first three appearances (2005-07) at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Italy, the Spaniard won a trio of titles and tallied a 17-match winning streak. The Spaniard last won the Rome title in 2021 and boasts a 69-8 event record.

Ugo Humbert mounted a comeback Friday at the Sardegna Open, where he saved three match points to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Cagliari, Italy.

After four hours, 13 minutes, Humbert defeated Taro Daniel 7-6(11), 7-6(7), 6-4. The Japanese player had two match points on his serve at 5-3 in the second set and another chance to close the match in the tie-break. But the sixth seed Humbert held his nerve to reach the last four, where he will next face Daniel Elahi Galan or Borna Gojo.

Aix-en-Provence
Top seed Tommy Paul and David Goffin are set to meet in the semi-finals at the Challenger 175 event in France after securing victories on Friday. American Paul fended off all three break points faced to down Austrian Jurij Rodionov 6-4, 6-2. Goffin rallied from a set down to oust #NextGenATP star Arthur Fils 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.

Semi-final Friday at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open sees top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz attempt to celebrate his 20th birthday by reaching his fourth ATP Masters 1000 championship match.

Standing in the Spaniard’s way is 17th seed Borna Coric. The pair’s clash on Manolo Santana Stadium will be their maiden ATP Head2Head meeting.

Aslan Karatsev and Jan-Lennard Struff, who meet in the second semi-final of the day at the Caja Magica, are also playing each other for the first time at Tour-level. Yet the pair faced off in Madrid just 10 days ago, when Karatsev downed Struff in the final round of qualifying before the German was added to the main draw at the clay-court Masters 1000 as a lucky loser.

ATPTour.com looks ahead to two intriguing matchups set for Friday’s schedule in the Spanish capital.

[ATP APP]

In honour of Carlos Alcaraz's 20th birthday, ATPTour.com celebrates by reliving 20 facts, memories and moments that have made the Spaniard's career historic thus far.

20 – Number of weeks Alcaraz first stayed at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after he rose to top spot following his 2022 US Open triumph.
19 – Alcaraz’s age when he rose to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for first time. He is the only teenager in the Open Era to top the men’s rankings.
18 – Age when he lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in Umag, becoming the youngest tour-level champion since 18-year-old Kei Nishikori won in Delray Beach in 2008.
17 – Beat Botic van de Zandschulp on Court 17 when aged 17 on his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the Australian Open in 2021.
16 – Years old when he made his tour-level debut. The Spaniard defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(2) in Rio de Janeiro in 2020.
15 – Age when he beat then-World No. 140 Pedro Martinez to earn first Top 200 win. He was not only the first player aged 15 & under to upset a Top 200 opponent since Ryan Harrison in 2008, but he was just the fifth 15-year-old to do so in the past 20 years, joining Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet and Bernard Tomic.
14 – Seed Alcaraz was when he clinched his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.
13 – Age Alcaraz and Nadal's paths would cross for the first time. Alcaraz posed for a picture with the Spaniard after winning a competition on the Rafa Nadal junior tour. They have since met three times on court, with Nadal leading Alcaraz 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.
12 – Number of tour-level finals Alcaraz has played.
11 – September 2022. The date Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 to win the US Open title and climb to No. 1.
10 –  The Spaniard climbed into the Top 10 for the first time after winning the title in Barcelona in 2022. Aged 18, he was the youngest player to crack the Top 10 since Nadal did exactly 17 years before after he lifted his first Barcelona trophy.
9 – Number of tour-level titles the Spaniard has won.
8 – Number of five-set wins Alcaraz has earned at Grand Slams, with five coming at the US Open. He has only lost once in a fifth set at a major, coming against Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open.
7 – Top 5 wins. The 19-year-old earned his first against then-World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open in 2021.
6 – Alcaraz will play in his sixth ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on his birthday against Borna Coric in Madrid.
5 – Consecutive matches won at the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals to become an undefeated champion at the 21-and-under year-end event.
4 – Number of ATP Masters 1000 crowns.
3 – By defeating Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev en route to the Madrid title in 2022, Alcaraz defeated the Top 3 seeds at the event. He also became the first player to beat the Serbian and Spaniard back-to-back on clay.
2 – In Indian Wells in 2023, Alcaraz defeated Tallon Griekspoor to earn 100 tour-level wins. He was the second fastest player to reach the milestone behind John McEnroe.
1 – His ranking at the end of 2022, making him the first and youngest player to finish No. 1 in the 50 editions of the year-end Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in January 2022.

Jan-Lennard Struff is enjoying the best week of his career at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he upset fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the semi-finals as a lucky loser.

ATPTour.com got to know more about Struff's life off the court, how he keeps in touch with family and more in this edition of 'The Nomadic Life'.

What are two essential non-tennis items you always pack for trips?
I always take a lot of caps with me because I like sun caps. A lot of guys have a PlayStation, but I am definitely not a gamer, so I used to take my Borussia Dortmund shirt or a soccer ball for some fun. I used to take a lot with me. I actually don’t have that many things with me. I always take a notebook to write some notes.

Do you enjoy travelling the world or consider it just something that needs to be done to be a pro tennis player? If you do enjoy it, what do you enjoy about travelling?
Everyone knows there are days when it is tough to leave home, especially with my girlfriend and my kid, sometimes it is very tough… In general I enjoy it and I think if Covid gets better again I’ll enjoy travelling much more.

Jan-Lennard Struff’s run at the Mutua Madrid Open appeared to be short-lived when he lost in the final round of qualifying last Tuesday. Nine days later, he is into his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

The lucky loser upset fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3 to reach the last four at the Caja Magica. The German will next face Aslan Karatsev, who ousted him in qualifying.

Struff is the third lucky loser to advance to the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 event, joining Thomas Johansson (2004 Toronto) and Lucas Pouille (2016 Rome). He has now split six ATP Head2Head matches with Tsitsipas.

[ATP APP]

It is the high point of a strong comeback for the 33-year-old. Earlier this year, Struff was as low as No. 167 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after suffering a right foot injury last season in Miami.

The action at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 175 events heated up Thursday, when Aix-en-Provence top seed Tommy Paul advanced to the quarter-finals in southern France. Daniel Elahi Galan’s victory against World No. 34 Yoshihito Nishioka was one of several upsets at the Cagliari Challenger.

American Paul cruised past Frenchman Geoffrey Blancaneaux 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.

“Tough conditions today, it was windy. But overall I’m happy with how I played, I wish I would’ve served better,” Paul said in his on-court interview. “More first serves in the court would’ve been better, but I'm happy to walk away with the win.”

World No. 17 Paul is the first Top-20 player to be competing at a Challenger Tour event since Stan Wawrinka played the Prague Challenger in 2020. The 25-year-old Paul will face Jurij Rodionov in the last eight. The six-time Challenger champion Rodionov advanced after outlasting Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(5).

Andy Murray escaped alternate Laurent Lokoli 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Despite having four match points in the second set, three-time major champion Murray was pushed to a decider by the home hope before sealing victory after two hours, 42 minutes.

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden rallied from a set down Thursday to reach their second ATP Masters 1000 final of the season.

The Indian-Australian duo ousted eighth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 5-7, 7-6(3), 10-4 in the last four of the Mutua Madrid Open. In the Match Tie-break, Bopanna and Ebden won four of seven return points to book their ticket into Saturday’s final.

Bopanna and Ebden, seeded seventh, are aiming for their third title of the season (Doha, Indian Wells). Their strong start to the season has lifted them to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Bopanna and Ebden will next meet Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer or Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin have won titles in Marseille and Miami this season. Their last two losses have come to Bopanna and Ebden, having suffered a defeat to the team in Barcelona.

The third clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season will see the world's best players compete at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, and more in action.

Here's what you need to know ahead of the tournament in the Italian capital:

When is the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The 2023 Internazionali BNL d'Italia will be held from 10-21 May. The clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 1930, will take place at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. The tournament director is Sergio Palmieri.

Who is playing at the 2023 Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The Internazionali BNL d'Italia will feature stars such as 10-time champion Rafael Nadal, defending champion Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev and more.

When is the draw for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The Rome draw will be made at a time yet to be confirmed.

What is the schedule for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia ATP Masters 1000 event?

* Qualifying: Monday, 8 May at 10 a.m, Tuesday, 9 May at 11 a.m.
* Main Draw: Wednesday, 10 May – Sunday, 21 May at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 21 May at 1 p.m.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 21 May at 4 p.m.
*View On Official Website

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

What is the prize money and points for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The prize money for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia is €7,705,780 and the Total Financial Commitment is €8,637,966.

SINGLES
Winner: €1,105,265 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €580,000 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: €308,790/ 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €161,525 / 180 points
Round of 16: €84,900 / 90 points
Round of 32: €48,835 / 45 points
Round of 64: €27,045 / 25 points
Round of 96: €16,340 / 10 points