Lehecka reaches his first semi-finals in Madrid
Jiri Lehecka claimed the last semi-final spot in the Mutua Madrid Open main draw after Daniil Medvedev withdrew injured at one set down (6-4). Félix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev had already booked their places in the round of four and the world No. 31’s surprise run through the rounds has now produced his […]
Granollers and Zeballos, on top of the world
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are the No. 1 pair in the world in the live ranking after beating the twosome formed by Hugo Nys and Jan Zelinski 16-14 in a roller-coaster super tiebreak. The Spanish-Argentine duo have earned themselves a place in history by reaching the pinnacle of the rankings for the first time […]
Fritz bids to emulate Agassi in Madrid
Very few Americans have ever set foot in the men’s semi-finals at the Mutua Madrid Open. So few, in fact, that since the tournament moved from hard court to the clay of the Caja Magica in 2009, Taylor Fritz is the first one to achieve the feat. The player from San Diego beat Argentina’s Francisco […]
Sabalenka stops Andreeva in her tracks
After three hard-fought three-set wins at the Mutua Madrid Open, Aryna Sabalenka finally enjoyed a more straightforward encounter on Wednesday, against emerging talent Mirra Andreeva (6-1, 6-4). The two-time champion in the Caja Magica required one hour and 19 minutes of tennis, time during which she fired 35 winners and did not concede a single […]
Alcaraz continues to progress, despite bowing out to Rublev
Carlos Alcaraz will not dispute another Mutua Madrid Open semi-final this year after losing 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 to Andrey Rublev in the quarters. Although he was the epitome of concentration in set one, aware of the magnitude of the challenge of toppling a Top 10 player, in the second and third sets he was perhaps […]
Game, set and eternity: Nadal
The close of play on Tuesday provided one of the most special moments in the history of the Mutua Madrid Open. The stroke of midnight between April 30 and May 1 2024 in the Caja Magica marked the moment of the final farewell to the Caja Magica from the five-time champion of the tournament (2005, […]
Keys emulates Williams sisters with great escape against Jabeur
Coming into Madrid, the last time Madison Keys had won three matches in a row was at the 2023 US Open eight months ago. The American power-hitter missed the first two months of this season with a shoulder injury – she tore her latissimus dorsi muscle just two weeks before flying to Australia to kick […]
Alcaraz moves the goalposts
Carlitos made no bones about his goals here at the start of the week. The mission in Madrid was part of a grander plan, to play three or four matches to help him recover his fitness and pick up some competitive court time. The fear of a relapse was looming large at the back of […]
Cerúndolo sinks two-time champion Zverev
Francisco Cerúndolo was not daunted by the 13-centimetre height between him and the man on the other side of the net, Alexander Zverev. Solid from the baseline, opening up angles, playing drop shots and daring passes, the Argentine played out of his skin on Tuesday on the clay of the Arantxa Sánchez Stadium. The Buenos […]
Swiatek seals her passage to the semis
Iga Swiatek is in the Mutua Madrid Open semi-finals after beating Maia Haddad 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Before today’s tie, the Pole had only dropped eight games in the tournament, leaving in her wake the likes of Sara Sorribes, Sorana Cirstea and Xiyu Wang. The world No. 1 was starting to look more like a repetitive […]