Cristina Bucsa & Sara Sorribes Tormo Claim Bronze in Women’s Doubles at 2024 Paris Games

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo have bounced back to earn some special Olympic hardware…

The 26-year-old Spanish professional tennis player and her 27-year-old compatriot defeated the Czech Republic’s Linda Nosková and Karolína Muchová in the women’s doubles bronze medal match 6-2, 6-2 to claim the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

Playing in just their second tournament as a team, the Spaniards bounced back to claim the bronze for their country.

The eighth-seeded Spaniards – who won the Madrid Open together in May – were rock solid throughout and seemed to have all the answers as they sealed a brilliant victory, Sorribes Tormo finishing it off with a brilliant forehand volley.

Bucsa and Sorribes had lost in the semifinals to Diana Schnaider and Mirra Andreeva 1-6, 2-6 on Friday to miss out on the gold medal round.

Francisco Cerundolo Upsets Alexander Zverev to Reach Madrid Open Quarterfinals

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Francisco Cerundolo has reached his fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.

The 25-year-old Argentine professional tennis player earned his third Top 5 win on Tuesday at the Madrid Open, after upsetting World No. 5 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4.

Cerundolo saved both break points he faced and won 79 percent (33/42) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to overcome the two-time Madrid champ Zverev after 90 minutes.

Cerundolo is the first Argentine quarterfinalist in Madrid since Juan Martin del Potro reached the last eight in the Spanish capital in 2012.

Cerundolo, who captured a tour-level clay-court title in Bastad in 2022, will aim to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 semifinal (Miami 2022) when he takes on American Taylor Fritz.

If Cerundolo defeats Fritz, he will move to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He eached a previous career-high No. 19 in June last year.

Fritz defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(2), 6-4 in 88 minutes to advance to his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal this season.

Rafael Nadal Outlasts Pedro Cachin to Reach Round of 16 at Madrid Open

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal’s optimism is on the rise…

After spending more than three hours on court and earning a hard-fought win, the 37-year-old Spanish professional tennis star is feeling optimistic.

Nadal’s body withstood its toughest test yet at the Madrid Open as he needed three sets to get past 91st-ranked Pedro Cachin on Monday.

Nadal didn’t show any signs of physical limitations as he won 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 to make it to the round of 16 at the clay-court tournament where he is the record five-time champion.

“It’s positive, now I don’t feel that something went wrong on my body, but I need to wait until tomorrow, being 100% honest,” he said. “I am trying my best to keep dreaming. Tomorrow is another day to keep dreaming. To keep playing in front of this amazing crowd and, to me, that means everything.”

Nadal will next face 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka.

He said he needs “to find a way to be able to play days in a row and still be competitive.”

“I don’t know if I am in that moment yet,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said. “Let’s see what can happen tomorrow. But I going to try. I going to do the things the right way to try to be ready for tomorrow.”

Nadal is trying to get in shape for next month’s French Open. Since his latest injury layoff, he’s had two matches in Barcelona and was pessimistic about his physical condition after arriving in Madrid. But he’s won three more times in the capital.

Nadal again looked comfortable early on against Cachin. The Argentine fought back in the second set but was broken twice while serving for the set. Cachin eventually prevailed in the tiebreaker.

Nadal didn’t look as loose in the final set, but did look tired. He wasn’t as consistent with his shots but picked up three breaks to seal the victory to the delight of the local crowd in the Caja Magica.

“I took more risks in the third set, but it’s hard after so many months without competing,” Nadal said. “I hadn’t played a match like this in a long time. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow. I don’t know how I’m going to wake up. But I’m already happy for having won three matches in a row.”

Cachin asked for Nadal’s shirt after congratulating him at the net, and received the gift moments later

Beatriz Haddad Maia Defeats Maria Sakkari to Advance to Madrid Open Quarterfinals

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Haddad Maia is still alive at the Madrid Open…

The 27-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player defeated fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals at the tournament.

Haddad Maia, the No 11 seed and ranked No 14 in the world, will next play World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, the top seed, who defeated Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo.

The Brazilian beat Italian qualifier Sara Errani (6-3, 6-2) and American Emma Navarro, the No 19 seed (6-4, 6-4) earlier in the tournament.

Haddad Maia has three career WTA titles and reached her first major semifinal at the 2023 French Open.

She’s hoping to win her first title of 2024.

Feliciano Lopez Appointed Tournament Director for Davis Cup Finals

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Feliciano Lopez’s Cup runneth over…

The 41-year-old Spanish tennis player has been appointed tournament director for the Davis Cup finals, the International Tennis Federation has announced.

Lopez, who won the competition with Spain four times, plans to end his playing career after this year.

The group stage will take place from September 12-17 in four European cities followed by the last-eight event in Malaga, Spain, from November 21-26.

“I have some special memories of playing in this competition so I am very happy to be taking a leading role in delivering these events,” Lopez said in the ITF announcement. “As tournament director, my sole focus will be to build on the recent success of the competition and make it the best it can be for players and supporters across the world.”

The Davis Cup was included as an official part of the ATP calendar under an agreement last year between the ITF and the men’s tour. Attendance in February’s qualifying events was up 10%.

Spain and Serbia are together in Group C, setting up a possible meeting between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The Czech Republic and South Korea are also in the group, which will play in Valencia.

The United States will face Croatia, Finland and the Netherlands in Group D. That group will be hosted by Croatia, although the city and venue has yet to be announced. Defending champion Canada is in Group A along with Italy, Sweden and Chile — playing in Bologna. Group B consists of host Britain, Australia, France and Switzerland, and will play in Manchester.

The top two teams in each group advance to the Final 8 tournament. A record 155 nations entered the competition this year.

Lopez represented Spain in the Davis Cup five times and helped his country win it in 2008, ’09, ’11 and ’19.

“He is a Davis Cup legend and embodies everything the competition is about — passion, entertainment and pride in representing your country,” ITF president David Haggerty said.

Lopez became tournament director of the Madrid Open in 2019.

A three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, Lopez is set to play in the grass-court Mallorca Championships beginning June 25.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Jan-Lennard Struff to Win Second Consecutive Madrid Open Title

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is one match away from a return to the top of the world rankings.

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis player beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the Spanish capital on Sunday to win a second straight Madrid Open title and guarantee his return to the No. 1 spot by playing at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open in Rome.

Alcaraz converted on his first match point after a hard-fought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career. He had also successfully defended his title in Barcelona two weeks ago.

“To defend the title here in Madrid, on the verge of regaining the No. 1 ranking, these are very big achievements for me,” Alcaraz said. “I feel very proud of the work that I’ve put in and of what I’ve been achieving. I’m an ambitious guy and I’m going for more in Rome.”

It was Alcaraz’s 29th win of the season, and 21st straight in Spain going back to a loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid on his 18th birthday two years ago.

He joined Nadal as the only consecutive Madrid champion in tournament history and is the youngest player to successfully defend a Masters 1000 title since Nadal at Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005-06.

“For me it is so, so special,” Alcaraz said. “To lift the trophy here in Madrid. In my country. In front of my home crowd, my family, my friends. Everyone close to me. For me it is a special feeling that I will never forget.”

Alcaraz’s other titles this year came in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells. He is the first player to win two Masters 1000 trophies this season. It was the fourth Masters 1000 title overall for last year’s US Open champion.

“It was a really tough match,” Alcaraz said. “Jan was playing great, really aggressive. In the second set I had a lot of chances to break his serve and I didn’t take it and it was tough for me to lose it. I told myself that I had to be positive all the time and that I would have my chances and I think I did it in the third set.”

The big-serving Struff was the first lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final, having earned an unexpected spot in the main draw after another player had to drop out.

The 33-year-old German, ranked 65th in the world, was playing in his second tour-level final and trying to become just the fourth player and first in more than 20 years to win his first tour-level trophy at a Masters 1000.

He called it “a best-career achievement so far.”

“Of course, I wanted to go all the way to win today, but I would definitely say if someone told me two weeks ago ‘You’re gonna play the finals,’ I would take it, definitely,” he said. “I was in the game. Had my chances. But he was too good at the end and congrats to him.”

Struff had lost in the final round of qualifying to Aslan Karatsev, the player he eventually beat in the semifinals after upsetting fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals. The final was his ninth match at the clay-court tournament in Madrid, compared to six for the top-seeded Alcaraz.

Struff beat Alcaraz on clay at the French Open in 2021, while Alcaraz needed five sets to down Struff at Wimbledon last year.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Borna Coric to Advance to Madrid Open Final

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a birthday to remember for Carlos Alcaraz…

The Spanish tennis star celebrated his 20th birthday on Friday with a win over Borna Coric at the Madrid Open to advance to the final.

Alcaraz was presented with a cake on center court to celebrate his birthday after his 6-4, 6-3 over Coric.

After staring at the gargantuan cake whose top was shaped like a tennis ball crowned by the number 20, Alcaraz took a knife and deftly cleaved off a thin piece to give it a try.

After the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” in Spanish, the defending champion told the packed Manolo Santana Stadium, “It truly is incredible to celebrate my birthday with all of you. Each year I celebrate my birthday here. When I turned 18, I played Rafael Nadal [in a loss], when I turned 19, I played [Cameron] Norrie [in a win], and now at 20, I advance to the final.”

The second-ranked Alcaraz will face 65th-ranked Jan-Lennard Struff in Sunday’s final after the German fought back from a set down to beat Aslan Karatsev.

Alcaraz is aiming for his fourth title of the season after triumphs in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells and Barcelona. He is also preparing for the French Open this month.

If Alcaraz successfully defends his title in Madrid, he will recover his world No. 1 ranking by playing one match in Rome next week.

In his first matchup with Alcaraz, Coric surprised early with his ability to counter his drop shots, so Alcaraz changed tactics and just battered the Croat player into submission. He took a 3-2 break lead and didn’t look back.

Alcaraz has dropped only one set — the first in his opener against Emil Ruusuvuori — at the tournament he won for the first time last year en route to becoming the U.S. Open and the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP history.

After that comeback win over Ruusuvouri, Alcaraz made quick work of Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov to reach the semifinals.

“It means a lot to me, playing a final again here in Madrid,” Alcaraz said. “It’s such a special place for me and I have great memories since I came here to play [when I was] under 12. Of course last year was amazing. Turning 20 like that is special, so I will enjoy the final here and I will try to make all of Spain happy.”

Alcaraz has won his last 20 matches in Spain.

Carlos Alcaraz Outlasts Karen Khachanov to Reach Madrid Open Semifinals

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is playing on at the Madrid Open…

The 19-year-old Spanish tennis player and defending champion overcame a tough test from Karen Khachanov on Wednesday, rallying late in the second set for a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 win that set up a semifinal against Borna Coric.

It was Alcaraz’s 150th tour-level match, and his 117th victory to leave him with a winning percentage (78%) currently better than the likes of Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi.

“My dream in tennis right now is to become one of the best tennis players in history,” Alcaraz said. “I know that this is a big dream, (it) probably is too big. But in this world, you have to dream big and you have to think big, as well. I want to be part of the the best tennis players in history. And I will work for it.”

Alcaraz was down 4-1 and 5-2 in the final set before winning the final five games to secure his fourth straight-set victory in Madrid.

The top-seeded Spaniard improved to 27-2 this year, having dropped only one set in his last 19 victories. He will be playing in his third Masters 1000 semifinals of the season.

“I knew I had to keep fighting no matter what,” Alcaraz said. “I had to stay strong because I knew that I would have my opportunities, and gladly I took advantage of the first one that I had to close out the match.”

Alcaraz converted on his first match point after the 10th-seeded Khachanov had taken control of the second set with an early break. The Russian had two break opportunities to go up 5-1 before Alcaraz rallied for the victory. The Spaniard, who finished with 31 winners, had converted on his first break opportunity to go up 4-3 and win the first set.

Alcaraz had cruised past last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev in the previous round, while Khachanov – a semifinalist at the Australian Open this year and at the U.S. Open last year – had beaten fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev.

Alcaraz is trying to become the first player this season to win two Masters 1000 titles, after having already lifted the trophy in Indian Wells. He successfully defended his title in Barcelona and also won in Buenos Aires.

If Alcaraz wins the title again in Madrid, he will regain the No. 1 spot in the world rankings if he plays at least one match in Rome.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to Repeat as Barcelona Open Champion

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz has successfully defended his title…

Playing dominantly, the 19-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to become the first player since Rafael Nadal to repeat as Barcelona Open champion.

In the process, Alcaraz has secured his third title of the year and ninth of his impressive young career.

“Me and my team were talking before the match about staying relaxed,” Alcaraz said. “To want to play the tough moments. Staying relaxed is the most important part for me. To forget the mistakes, everything, and be myself on court. Not to think about all the people watching, but just me, the court, the racket and the final.”

It was the fifth consecutive straight-set win for the second-ranked Alcaraz at his home tournament this year. He is now 10-1 in Barcelona and has won his last 14 tour matches on Spanish soil.

“It’s incredible to feel this energy, to lift the trophy here in Barcelona in front of all my people,” said Alcaraz, who used to watch the tournament in the stands as a kid. “My family and my friends are here as well. To lift the trophy here in front of all of them is a great feeling.”

Alcaraz had not successfully defended a title in his career before Sunday. Nadal was the last player to win consecutive titles in Barcelona with three straight from 2016-18. Alcaraz will also try to defend his title at the upcoming Madrid Open.

He is now 23-2 for the year. His other titles this season came at Buenos Aires and Indian Wells.

Alcaraz was playing in his fourth final in five tournaments this year, winning it with 26 winners and seven unforced errors.

He and Tsitsipas exchanged breaks early in the first set but Alcaraz eventually took control to comfortably secure his fourth consecutive win over the fifth-ranked Greek. He had also beaten Tsitsipas in the Barcelona quarterfinals last year.

“I had the opportunity to see you a few years ago for the first time, I saw you play a little bit,” Tsitsipas said of Alcaraz. “Some of us guys who were on the tour a little bit earlier than you, I think most of us were fascinated by your tennis … we see you as an example even though we are slightly older than you. We see your achievements as something that will hopefully push us to to do better.”

Tsitsipas, the Australian Open finalist earlier this year, was trying to win his first title in Barcelona after twice losing the final to Nadal in 2018 and 2021. He was looking for his first title of the year, and 10th of his career.

Carlos Alcaraz Soundly Defeats Alexander Zverev to Claim Madrid Open Title

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz continues to impress, as he proves he belongs among the best.

The 19-year-old Spanish tennis phenom wrapped up another impressive week with a straight-set victory over Alexander Zverev on Sunday to win the Madrid Open and become the second-youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles.

His comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win over Zverev followed victories over his idol Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

“Last year I was going through these experiences for the first time, playing against the best players, playing in the Masters 1000, and I learned a lot,” Alcaraz said. “Now it’s different. I go onto the court knowing that I can win, with the confidence that I can win at any moment.”

Alcaraz became the youngest winner in Madrid, and the second youngest to win two Masters 1000 trophies after Nadal won in Monte Carlo and Rome in 2005 as an 18-year-old. Alcaraz had already become the youngest to enter the top 10 since Nadal did it in 2005.

“It feels great to be able to beat these players,” Alcaraz said. “To beat two of the best players in history and then Zverev, the world No. 3. He is a great player. I would say this is the best week of my life.”

It was the seventh straight win over a top-10 player for Alcaraz, and his tour-leading fourth title of the year. He also has the most wins this season with 28, one more than Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Alcaraz tried to downplay the hype about whether he’s the best player right now, though.

“Djokovic is the No. 1 in the ranking,” he said. “It’s not because I won in Barcelona and beat Djokovic and Rafa in Madrid that I will consider myself the best player in the world. Also, I think I’m going to be No. 6 tomorrow, so I still have five players in front of me to be the best one.”

For Zverev, who was trying to win his second consecutive Madrid title – and third overall – there was no doubt about who was playing the best tennis.

“Right now you are the best player in the world,” Zverev said before the trophy ceremony and joked about his opponent’s age. “Even though you are still 5 years old, you are still beating us all, so great to see for tennis that we have such a new superstar who is going to win many Grand Slams, who is going to be No. 1 and is going to win this tournament many times.”

Alcaraz had won his first Masters 1000 tournament in Miami earlier this year. He had also won in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. His first career title came in Umag last year.

Alcaraz’s three losses this season came against Sebastian Korda in Monte Carlo, Nadal in Indian Wells and Matteo Berrettini in the Australian Open.

After long three-set wins over Nadal and Djokovic, the seventh-seeded Alcaraz kept his high energy from the start against Zverev and was in control throughout the match at the Caja Mágica center court.

He didn’t face any break points and converted four of the eight he had against the second-seeded Zverev. Alcaraz had 11 unforced errors compared to 25 by Zverev.

“I am 19 years old, which I think is the key to be able to play long and tough matches in a row. I am feeling great physically,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz said he had been worried about his condition after waking up with an infected blister and a swollen right ankle, which he injured in the win against Nadal on Friday.

Alcaraz said it was special to win in Madrid, where he first started watching tennis at an early age.

“Watching Rafa lift this trophy gave me a lot of power to work hard for this moment,” Alcaraz said. “It is a great moment for me. It is the first tournament I watched, so lifting the trophy today is so emotional.”

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