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Can anyone stop Carlos Alcaraz from successfully defending his Mutua Madrid Open crown?

Karen Khachanov will take his shot at eliminating the Spanish star on Tuesday at the Caja Magica. The 10th seed is fresh off a Top 10 win over Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.

Even with Alcaraz in the top half of the draw, there is opportunity for the other quarter-finalists in the half. Seventeenth seed Borna Coric and lucky loser Daniel Altmaier will meet for the first time for a spot in the last four.

ATPTour.com previews the first two Madrid quarter-finals.

[1] Carlos Alcaraz vs. [10] Karen Khachanov

Alcaraz produced a ruthless performance on Tuesday to dismiss former World No. 2 and defending Madrid finalist Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2. It was an even more lopsided victory than the one the Spaniard earned in last year’s 6-3, 6-1 final at the Caja Magica.

Zhang Zhizhen made history on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he became the first Chinese player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

The 26-year-old accomplished the feat in style, saving three match points to rally past eighth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(8). It marked his first Top 10 win on his third attempt.

“I didn’t think about this. Didn’t really think about [his] ranking, because you just need to give the best you can,” Zhang said in his on-court interview. “Before the match, you know it’s a very tough player. There is no weakness, so [I] just tried what I can do. Then [after] losing the first set, [I was] thinking about trying to play a little bit closer match. In the end [that] I can win, that’s amazing.”

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It has been a breakthrough week for the Chinese star, who upset World No. 13 Cameron Norrie in the third round. At the time, not only did that make him the first player from his country to reach the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 event, but it had been the biggest win of his career by Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

This week’s jam-packed ATP Challenger Tour 175 events began main-draw action Tuesday, with stars such as Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alexander Bublik among those who made a winning start.

The Australian Kokkinakis defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round after winning 17 of 21 points off his first serve and converting seven of 11 break points at the Sardegna Open in Cagliari, Italy.

Kokkinakis will next meet Alessandro Giannessi or Francesco Passaro at the clay-court event, where Yoshihito Nishioka and Ben Shelton are the top two seeds.

It was a day for Italian Mattia Bellucci to remember, as he earned his first Top-100 win by upsetting fifth seed Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The 21-year-old will next face his countryman Giulio Zeppieri, who survived wild card Andrea Vavassori 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-4.

In other Cagliari action, Japan’s Taro Daniel downed American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. Daniel, World No. 109, will meet third seed Mackenize McDonald on Thursday.

A year on from their 2022 final clash, Carlos Alcaraz conjured a repeat result and a similarly scintillating performance against Alexander Zverev to charge into the quarter-finals at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open.

Alcaraz was dominant from the outset in Tuesday’s clash, barely putting a foot wrong in his 6-1, 6-2 triumph against the two-time champion Zverev on Manolo Santana Stadium. He dropped just eight points behind serve and was a constant menace on return as he broke the German’s serve four times in an emphatic 83-minute triumph

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Stepping on court seeking his 18th straight ATP Tour victory on Spanish soil, Alcaraz immediately set about demonstrating his best level to the vocal home crowd at the Caja Magica. He struck the ball with power and accuracy from the first game to heap pressure on Zverev and broke the German’s serve in the second and sixth games en route to the opening set.

Zverev, who prevailed in the pair’s most recent previous ATP Head2Head meeting at Roland Garros last year, was unable to raise his level to match the 19-year-old Spaniard. Alcaraz reeled off five games in a row from 1-2 in the second set as his lightning-fast movement around the court enabled him to redirect his opponent’s heavy groundstrokes with ease.

Aslan Karatsev reaffirmed his return to top form with a stunning upset of second seed Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The former World No. 14 and three-time tour-level titlist delivered a remarkable barrage of baseline hitting en route to a 7-6(1), 6-4 triumph against the in-form Medvedev on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium. Karatsev’s power and the consistent depth of his groundstrokes proved too much even for Medvedev, one of the best defenders on Tour, to handle.

“I’m feeling great, playing well,” said Karatsev, who now holds a 6-7 record against Top 10 opponents. “I just have to focus every match, so I will be prepared for the next one… [Against top players] you just concentrate more, you have to be 100 per cent, you have to focus more because they do not give you any free points.

“You have to be consistent and mentally tough, so I think I’m doing well.”

Karatsev charged to the first-set tie-break with four clean winners in eight points and claimed a decisive break in the fifth game of the second set to seal a 93-minute victory. The World No. 121, who came through qualifying to reach the main draw in Madrid, will next face Taylor Fritz or Zhang Zhizhen at the Caja Magica.

Good friends and doubles partners, but there could only be one winner Tuesday on the singles court.

It was Karen Khachanov who kept his cool to down Andrey Rublev 7-6(8), 6-4 in the pair’s fourth-round clash at the Mutua Madrid Open. The 10th-seeded Khachanov took control of a closely fought encounter by rallying from 4/6 to claim the first-set tie-break and he carried that momentum to a one-hour, 42-minute victory on Manolo Santana Stadium.

“It’s always tricky to play against each other because on one side we know each other's games perfectly because we’ve been training together for so many years," said Khachanov. "At the same time we know what to expect, but also of course a bit nervous to play against each other. We are good friends, but on the court we are rivals.

"It was all a matter of keeping the serve, and if you have any chances on the return, go for it. That’s what I did."

Khachanov saved the only break point he faced and won 80 per cent (35/44) of points behind first serves to take a 3-2 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Rublev. The pair also met in Monte-Carlo three weeks ago, when Rublev prevailed en route to lifting his maiden Masters 1000 crown.

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

Pedro Cachin is as Argentinian as they come: kind, respectful, friendly, genuine. The values he absorbed in his native Bell Ville have been evident throughout his ATP Tour career. However, it is in Spain, more than 10,000 kilometres from home, that the 28-year-old Argentine has taken the biggest steps in his tennis career.

On Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open, he beat Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 7-6(2) to reach the Round of 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his life.

“I’ve always liked Madrid, the conditions here really suit me,” explains the No. 67 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, who is still yet to relinquish a set in the tournament. “I’m really happy. Everything is going better than I expected. This will help me believe I belong here, to feel that I’ve earned the right to be at this kind of tournament.”

CACHIN FIRE ❤️‍???

World No.67 @pecachin1 knocks out Tiafoe 6-1 7-6(2) to move into the last 16 in Madrid!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/jVIcscMj9Z

The entirety of the remaining men's singles field will play on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, with the fourth round set to be completed over the course of a packed day at the ATP Masters 1000.

The pick of the eight matchups is a rematch of last year's Madrid final between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, with Top 10 seeds Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov also squaring off in the draw's top half. Daniil Medvedev's meeting with Aslan Karatsev is another highlight, while three Spaniards in addition to Alcaraz hope to advance to the quarter-finals, led by 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. 

ATPTour.com looks at some of the key fourth-round matchups on the Day 9 schedule across the men’s singles draw and men’s doubles draw.

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[1] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. [13] Alexander Zverev (GER)

Alcaraz dominated the 2022 Madrid final against the Zverev, capping an emphatic three-match stretch in which he defeated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the German. That victory clinched a trophy double for the Spaniard across Barcelona and Madrid, and the 19-year-old is now four wins away from repeating that feat this season. If he does claim the title, Alcaraz would be guaranteed to return to No. 1 the week after Rome simply by playing a match in the Italian capital.

Roger Federer returned to the Met Gala on Monday for the first time since 2017, when he intrigued fans worldwide in a crystal cobra on his tuxedo.

Federer wore a less adventurous outfit on Monday evening, but the GQ’s Most Stylish Man of the Decade was in his element in at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art.

Earlier in the day, the Swiss legend joined friend and Editor in Chief of Vogue Anna Wintour for a look at The Costume Institute's exhibition — Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.

Photo Gallery: AFP/Getty Images
Federer enjoyed his time in New York ahead of the Met Gala. The Swiss visited the Cary Leeds Center to speak with local junior players. He also caught up with comedian Trevor Noah.

A ?of home in the Big ???@Trevornoah pic.twitter.com/3fLhmJcoLq

China's Zhang Zhizhen backed up his upset of Denis Shapovalov with an even bigger win against Cameron Norrie on Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open. Both triumphs came via a third-set tie-break, with the 26-year-old battling back to stun Norrie 2-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) and notch his first Top 20 win.

"Before the match I didn't even think I was going to be here in the second week of Madrid," the Shanghai native said after extending his dream debut at the ATP Masters 1000. "Now I made it!

"This is a big victory because it was an amazing match. The first set was tough, I was down 6-2 but I still didn't give up. And then I won two tie-breaks, that's amazing. Normally my tie-breaks is losing one and then win. So today I had two wins, that's unbelievable really."

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Zhang, who became the first Chinese player to break into the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last October, has moved up 10 places to No. 89 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings behind his best run at an ATP Masters 1000 — a mark that would represent a new career high. With a win in his last-16 match against Taylor Fritz, he could rise as high as No. 65.

"Again, a top player for sure, a tough match," Zhang said of the his third straight seeded opponent. "I will try to be my best, try to fight."

After edging Dominic Thiem in a third-set tie-break to open his Mutua Madrid Open campaign, Stefanos Tsitsipas again owned the clutch moments in a Monday win against Sebastian Baez. In a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory, the Greek rattled off the final four games of the opening set and the last three of the third to advance to the last 16 at the ATP Masters 1000.

"He made it very difficult for me. Honestly, it was demanding in a lot of ways. I had to bring the best out of my game," Tsitsipas said post-match. "He wasn't missing much. Of course he's someone that covers and runs around the court pretty well. He definitely utilised that pretty well against me, being able to navigate himself throughout the entire court with ease, just gliding through the court like a cheetah."

Emerging victorious from the Madrid jungle, Tsitsipas improved to 8-2 on clay this season as he continues his bid to return to the semi-finals at the event for the third time. A 2019 finalist in the Spanish capital, he also reached the last four in 2022. If he can win his third ATP Masters 1000 title this week, he could rise as high No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and move within 1,000 points of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

A trophy would be his first of the season following defeats in the final at the Australian Open and last week in Barcelona.

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Andy Murray playing Gael Monfils is worthy of a Grand Slam quarter-final. Indeed Murray toughed out a five-set victory in the Roland Garros quarters when he last met the Frenchman almost nine years ago.

So fans at this week’s ATP Challenger 175 event in Aix-en-Provence, France are in for a treat when two of the most popular players in the modern game face off in the first round of the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.

And Murray and Monfils are not the only big-name stars who will be in Challenger Tour action this week. Several high-ranked players who lost early at the Mutua Madrid Open will now have an opportunity to make a splash at one of two 175 events this week in Aix-en-Provence and Cagliari, Italy.

At the Sardegna Open in Italy, Yoshihito Nishioka, Ben Shelton, and Mackenzie McDonald are the top three seeds. Diego Schwartzman, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Ugo Humbert will also be in Cagliari.

Thanasi Kokkinakis greets fans at the Sardegna Open in Cagliari, Italy. Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour

Match Tie-break fever took hold in the doubles draw Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

All three second-round matches that took place were settled in a decider at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000. Among the teams that triumphed in the Spanish capital were Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, who edged Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev 6-4, 1-6, 10-5.

Bopanna and Ebden finished with a flourish on Court 4, winning the final five points of the match to clinch a 75-minute win and keep alive their bid for their second Masters 1000 title of the season.

The Indian Wells champions Bopanna and Ebden will take on Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in the quarter-finals, after the top seeds pulled through 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 against home wild cards Roberto Carballes Baena and Martin Landaluce.

Singles stars Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev also delivered a strong finish to book their quarter-final berth. Taking on four-time Masters 1000 titlists Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, Khachanov and Rublev saved all four break points they faced in their 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-6 triumph. They next face Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.

The ATP Challenger Tour prides itself in providing a raw look into professional tennis, offering an opportunity for fans to watch players go from grind to glory.

Indian Sumit Nagal is a case in point. The 25-year-old returned to the Challenger Tour winners’ circle Sunday following a difficult journey.

Nagal advanced through qualifying at the Roma Garden Open and went on a dream run, downing Dutchman Jesper de Jong 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

Nagal, who is one of five Challenger champions this week, captured his third Challenger title and first since 2019. Nagal’s journey since claiming the Buenos Aires Challenger four years ago has been filled with challenges, including undergoing right hip surgery in 2021. But this week on the Italian clay courts came with a great reward.

“It always feels good to lift a trophy, especially when it’s been four years since you won your last one,” Nagal wrote in an Instagram post following the Rome Challenger title. “There were times when the days were cold and the cards all fold.

Chasing his maiden ATP Tour title on clay at the Mutua Madrid Open, Taylor Fritz demonstrated his recent improvement on the surface Monday with a scintillating 6-1 7-6(4) third-round triumph against Cristian Garin.

The American marked his coach Michael Russell’s birthday with a lights-out performance on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, where he struck the ball cleanly on serve and off the ground throughout his 92-minute victory. The No. 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Fritz fired 26 winners and held his nerve after Garin forced a second-set tie-break to reach the last 16 in Madrid for the first time in three appearances.

Now 7-2 for the year on clay, the Monte-Carlo semi-finalist Fritz will take on Cameron Norrie or Zhang Zhizhen as he chases his second ATP Masters 1000 title.

More to follow…

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Daniil Medvedev added a second triumph to his 2023 Mutua Madrid Open campaign on Monday, but not before the second seed was given a real scare by qualifier Alexander Shevchenko at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event.

Medvedev twice rallied from a break down in the deciding set to claim a tense 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win on Manolo Santana Stadium. He was forced to call on all his renowned defensive abilities to keep the 22-year-old Shevchenko at bay, but held firm in the Madrid heat to seal a two-hour, 43-minute triumph.

“He played well. He’s young, so I’m sure he’s going to up the rankings, especially if he plays like in this tournament,” said Medvedev of Shevchenko, who has risen five spots to No. 91 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run to the third round on his Masters 1000 main-draw debut. "It’s always like this. He’s still young so he has a lot of time to go up.

“I practised with him before, I know that he can play very good, so the more consistent he is [and] the more matches he plays like this, maybe next time he’s going to win and the higher he is going to go. I’m very happy that today I managed to beat him.”

Shevchenko made a lightning start to his first match against a Top 10 opponent. The 22-year-old forged an ultimately unassailable 5-1 lead in the first set but soon found himself 0-5 down in the second as Medvedev began to counter his opponent’s high-class shotmaking with typical resilience from the baseline.

Monday's action at the Mutua Madrid Open will finalise the last 16 at the ATP Masters 1000, with the third round to be completed on Day 6 of main-draw play. Second seed Daniil Medvedev will start the day's slate in Manolo Santana Stadium against Alexander Shevchenko, with fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas meeting 25th seeed Sebastian Baez in the evening session on centre court.

Taylor Fritz's midday matchup with Cristian Garin headlines the action in Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, with Frances Tiafoe facing Pedro Cachin just before on Madrid's second stage.

ATPTour.com looks at some of the key third-round matchups on Monday's schedule across the men’s singles draw and men’s doubles draw.

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[2] Daniil Medvedev vs. [Q] Alexander Shevchenko

A self-proclaimed "hard-court specialist", Medvedev has found his footing on the clay this season with a quarter-final run in Monte-Carlo and a confident performance in a 6-4, 6-3 win against Andrea Vavassori in the Madrid opening round. 

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.”

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.