Andrey Rublev snaps Carlos Alcaraz’s Madrid streak, scores biggest win since 2022

Andrey Rublev’s mid-season renaissance continues at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open, where he rallied from a set down to dethrone two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and snap his 14-match winning streak, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

"The serve saved me a lot of times today," Rublev said on court after the match. "I think most key was that it was one of my first matches where I was completely calm. I didn't say one word, even if I was losing. I think that was the key, that I was able to serve even better because at the beginning, I was not serving that well but little by little, after one set I got better and better, and finished really well."

The No. 7 seed had carried a four-match losing streak into the Caja Magica, but has come back to life just as the clay-court season kicks into high gear, scoring his first Top 3 victory since the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals (d. Stefanos Tsitsipas) in just under two hours over the No. 2 seed on Manolo Santana Stadium.

"I don't know what to say. Maybe this week is good but next week will be back to the same, to better not to think this way. When you start to think how good everything is, which is what was happening at the beginning of the season, then six weeks I wasn't winning anything. It's better not to think at all: it's not bad, not good, it's just a moment. It happens to everyone; every player has been through these moments, and the most important thing is to keep working, keep improving, to keep remembering that one week can change everything."

Indeed, Rublev had been a shadow of his former self in the months since incurring a shocking default from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semifinals. The 26-year-old was competing the third set against Alexander Bublik when an audible obscenity directed towards a line official led to his ejection from the match for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Though he was allowed to keep his ranking points and prize money on appeal and won his first match back at the BNP Paribas Open, Rublev entered a protracted slump that took him through opening-round exits at the Miami Open and the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he was the defending champion.

Heretofore a fan favorite, few eyes were on Rublev as he kicked off his Madrid campaign, which began with straight-set victories over Facundo Bagnis and No. 27 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. His win over No. 24 seed Tallon Greikspoor booked him a meeting with Alcaraz, who beat him in their only prior meeting last fall in Turin.

Where Rublev lacked momentum, Alcaraz arrived in Madrid lacking match play after sitting out events in Monte Carlo and Barcelona due to a lingering forearm injury. Playing his matches with a compression sleeve over his right arm, the 20-year-old nonetheless looked solid through his first two matches, defeating Alexander Shevchenko and Thiago Seyboth Wild in straight sets.

Taking on No. 23 seed Jan-Lennard Struff in a rematch of the 2023 Madrid final was a very different match for Alcaraz, who lost the second set and nearly the match after serving for it in the third.

Still, the reigning Wimbledon champion looked confident early on against Rublev, breaking serve in the fifth game and threatening a second when the Russian served to stay in it at 5-3. Though he saved two set points, Rublev found himself down a set when Alcaraz was able to serve it out after a change of ends.

The second set came down to a marathon second game, where Rublev took a 0-40 lead only to break on his fifth opportunity. He continued to pressure Alcaraz’s serve with more break chances and save two of his own when the Spaniard threatened to even the set. Shaking off an outburst when a rubbed-out mark left him unable to challenge, Rublev managed to force a decider and open with another break. Fending off two more break chances to remain in the lead, the upset was clearly in sight when he surged ahead with a 5-1, double-break advantage.

Though Alcaraz gamely held serve as the match neared the two-hour mark, Rublev was unfazed, stepping to the line to serve for the match. A drop shot winner from Rublev and a backhand miss from Alcaraz brought up two match points; Rublev would only need one, jamming Alcaraz with one last serve to book his spot in the semifinals.

Awaiting him there will be the winner of the final quarterfinal match of the day between No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz (Fritz leads 5-3) and No. 21 seed Francisco Cerúndolo (H2H tied 1-1).