MADRID: Carlos Alcaraz engineered a stunning second-set turnaround to overcome an impressive display from Karen Khachanov and keep his title defence on track Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.
The top seed trailed 2-5 in the second set of the pair’s quarter-final clash on Manolo Santana Stadium but rallied to a 6-4, 7-5 triumph to reach his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season. Frequently deploying drop shots to try and disrupt Khachanov’s heavy baseline hitting, Alcaraz hit 31 winners to prevail in what will be his final competitive match as a teenager.
Veronika Kudermetova took out No.3 seed Jessica Pegula in a rollercoaster three-setter to reach the biggest semifinal of her career with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 win over the American in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Maria Sakkari advanced to the semifinals after she outlasted No.31 seed Irina-Camelia Begu 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Zhang Zhizhen made history at the Madrid Open as he stunned American Taylor Fritz on Tuesday night to become the first Chinese player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal. The 26-year-old continued his dream run with a 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(8) defeat of the eighth seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the quarter-finals after beating Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The Greek conceded three service breaks to World No. 42 Zapata Miralles but remained in charge throughout thanks to seven service breaks of his own in a 6-3, 6-1 victory. Agencies.
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