Madrid Open 2023 Semi Final Recap
Home favourite Carlos Alcaraz faces Jan-Lennard Struff in the Madrid Open final after beating Borna Coric, while Struff recovered from a set down to beat Karatsev and become the first lucky loser to make a Masters 1000 final.
The Madrid Open semi-finals are complete and will see home favourite Carlos Alcaraz face Jan-Lennard Struff in Sunday’s final.
In the opening semi-final of the day, Carlos Alcaraz proved too strong for Borna Coric, coming through 6-3 6-4, and he’s yet to drop a set en route to the final.
It was then up to qualifier Aslan Karatsev or lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff to join him, and it was the German who prevailed, recovering from a set down to win through 3-6 6-3 6-4 to become the first lucky loser to make a Masters 1000 final.
Madrid Open 2023 Semi-Final Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz (1) | Borna Coric (17) | 6-4 6-3 |
| Jan-Lennard Struff (LL) | Aslan Karatsev (Q) | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
Alcaraz Too Strong for Coric
In the first semi-final, Carlos Alcaraz proved too strong for Borna Coric with a 6-3 6-4 win to book his spot in the final.
Coric started the match at a high intensity, going toe to toe with Alcaraz in the opening games, fashioning a breakpoint in the fourth game.
However, after failing to convert, he became too passive, which allowed Alcaraz to start manoeuvring him around the court and dictate play.
Alcaraz broke decisively in the fifth game en route to taking the opening set, and although Coric recovered an early break in set two, he had to do the retrieving when he needed to force the issue.
That eventually took its toll as Alcaraz started to take his legs away, and Coric can’t really do any damage from the forehand wing to trouble the Spaniard.
It was a goal for me at the beginning of the match, trying to start the point playing aggressive. This is something I look for in every match, trying to attack on the return and of course trying to play with my forehand. I feel really comfortable playing with that. I think I hurt the opponent especially with the forehand and of course the drop shot, so this is a key and I’m trying to do it in every match. Alcaraz on his gameplan vs Coric
Highlights
Match Stats
| Carlos Alcaraz | Borna Coric | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 4 | 2 |
| Double Faults | 3 | 2 |
| First Serve | 38/58 (66%) | 38/62 (61%) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 27/38 (71%) | 23/38 (61%) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 13/20 (65%) | 10/24 (42%) |
| Break Points Saved | 1/2 (50%) | 2/6 (33%) |
| Service Games Played | 9 | 10 |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won | 15/38 (39%) | 11/38 (29%) |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won | 14/24 (58%) | 7/20 (35%) |
| Break Points Converted | 4/6 (67%) | 1/2 (50%) |
| Return Games Played | 10 | 9 |
| Net Points Won | 11/17 (65%) | 12/23 (52%) |
| Winners | 30 | 22 |
| Unforced Errors | 10 | 8 |
| Service Points Won | 40/58 (69%) | 33/62 (53%) |
| Return Points Won | 29/62 (47%) | 18/58 (31%) |
| Total Points Won | 69/120 (57%) | 51/120 (43%) |
Struff Fires Past Karatsev
Jan-Lennard Struff became the first lucky loser to make a Masters 1000 final, coming from a set down to see off the man who beat him in qualifying almost a fortnight ago, Aslan Karatsev, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Struff started the match where he left off against Tsitsipas, forging a 3-1 lead, but Karatsev began to find his feet from the baseline, taking the ball early, which devoided Struff of time to wind up his groundstrokes and errors started to creep in.
The Russian ended up taking it 6-4, but in the second set, Struff took his game up a notch, hitting with even more ferocity, and it was Karatsevs turn to struggle to handle his pace.
Struff levelled it with a 6-3 set, and in the third, his big hitting continued, with a single break proving decisive as he sealed it 6-4.
It was a highly impressive performance with huge serving, serving & volleying and 37 winners. And despite his tough three-setter vs Tsitsipas, he looked the fitter man, with Karatsev needing a medical timeout on a thigh problem in the third.
I feel Aslan had some issues at the end. Was struggling with his leg, which is very unfortunate, so I wish him all the best. For me it wasn’t that easy because I knew I had to put the ball in and be aggressive. I tried to get it done at 5/3. I managed to stay calm, served well and went for my shots. Struff on his win over Karatsev.
Highlights
Match Stats
| Jan-Lennard Struff | Aslan Karatsev | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 15 | 3 |
| Double Faults | 6 | 4 |
| First Serve | 57/96 (59%) | 51/88 (58%) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 42/57 (74%) | 36/51 (71%) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 21/39 (54%) | 22/37 (59%) |
| Break Points Saved | 5/7 (71%) | 6/9 (67%) |
| Service Games Played | 15 | 14 |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won | 15/51 (29%) | 15/57 (26%) |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won | 15/37 (41%) | 18/39 (46%) |
| Break Points Converted | 3/9 (33%) | 2/7 (29%) |
| Return Games Played | 14 | 15 |
| Net Points Won | 8/13 (62%) | 12/13 (92%) |
| Winners | 37 | 31 |
| Unforced Errors | 22 | 13 |
| Service Points Won | 63/96 (66%) | 58/88 (66%) |
| Return Points Won | 30/88 (34%) | 33/96 (34%) |
| Total Points Won | 93/184 (51%) | 91/184 (49%) |
Madrid Open 2023 Final
- Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Jan Lennard Struff (LL)
Given Struff has played two back-to-back three-setters, his already relatively low chances are even further diminished, in my opinion, so I’d pick Alcaraz in a comfortable straight-sets win unless the German can have an unbelievable serving day.
How do you guys see the final panning out? Let me know in the comments.
First?
Ah well Alcaraz is still the heavy favorite. But congrats to Struff anyway, whatever the result
Struff’s main weapon is not the serve, but the return. He is going for hard return every time, never returning to get the ball to the other side. Of course lots of mishits, but never long rallies. Consistency is his weakness. Maybe Frankenstein is too good in defense (depends on how many splits he will need to make to defend effectively.
The game of both is quite simple. Frankenstein is better at moving fast, Struff is better in using simple means.
Of course Struff needs to serve well and never allow longer rallies. Most 3+ rallies will be won by Frankenstein. Struff must try to be even more aggressive than he usually is (but very rarely reaches high stages in tournaments because of mental instability. But in Madrid Struff is more stable than usual.
Nobody (not me ;)) cheering for Frankenstein?
Waiting for mass production? It started short after Carlos, The Gorilla, so expect them to come soon.
Meanwhile watch the ATP website homepage to see Carlos in Gorilla look – it’s chemicals – DuPont or Bayer?
I followed on live scores. It seems from the numbers that Struff made admirable resistance, the result was not completely given? I cannot wait for sober description of this match…