Daniel Altmaier is the first lucky loser to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals since his opponent in the last eight, Borna Coric, in 2017. The German may have needed a slice of fortune to acquire his spot in the main draw in the Spanish capital, but his dream ATP Masters 1000 run can be seen as just reward for his years of hard work battling back from shoulder and hip problems.

As an 18-year-old in mid-2017, Altmaier climbed as high as No. 210 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after reaching his first ATP Tour quarter-final in Antalya. Yet an injury-plagued 2018, during which he competed in just three professional tournaments, disrupted his progress. It was not until late 2020 that he reached that mark again, en route to his career-high of No. 53 in May 2022.

“I really got to know my body,” Altmaier told ATPTour.com last year when asked if any positives had come out of his difficult journey back. “I really put a lot of effort into doing my research and understanding the change of the body. For example, if your calf is hurting, where is the potential? Is your ankle wrong or is it coming from the hip?

“I really started to understand those changes and I really wanted to know what was happening. Now, I think I feel much better about understanding my body.”

An unforgettable moment for @daniel_altmaier 🤩@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/mBvopbsuWG

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 2, 2023

All that time off the court gave Altmaier more time at home to enjoy one of his favourite hobbies: fishing. An activity he mostly undertakes with his father, Altmaier cites the experience of waiting for a catch as a nice contrast to his life on the tennis court. That does not mean it is any less intense, however.

“I think most people probably think that you just go fishing and wait until something happens,” said Altmaier. “I think our fishing is different because it has a little bit of strategy. It depends on the weather and how active the fish is.

“I would say it’s kind of like professional fishing because my dad really is obsessed with those things and knows exactly about the temperature, the weather conditions, how high the water is in rivers, for example. All those things make a big difference. I find that really interesting and it’s totally something else to what we do in tennis. It’s something fantastic.”

So has he ever taken advantage of the global nature of the ATP Tour to discover other fishing spots around the world?

“I fish mostly at home with my dad, because we can fish trout,” said Altmaier. “In the ocean in Mexico or maybe somewhere in the United States [would be good], though, fishing for tuna or something like this. It would be exciting one day but so far I haven’t done it. There are a lot of countries, so let’s see.”

The fact Altmaier has stayed healthy for the past two years may have reduced his time relaxing by the river at home, but it has allowed the 24-year-old to establish himself more securely at the top of the game. Since returning to the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in November 2021, the German has spent only seven weeks outside that group.

His run this week in Madrid, where he defeated countrymen Oscar Otte and Yannick Hanfmann before dropping just three games against home favourite Jaume Munar, has lifted Altmaier 31 spots to No. 61 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. It is a more-than-useful springboard for the rest of his 2023 season, especially considering his belief that he can do damage on all surfaces.

“Maybe I have the most experience on clay,” said Altmaier, who defeated Matteo Berrettini on the way to the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2020. “Definitely the most matches if you see my stats probably, but I do enjoy every part of the circuit because I think my game suits any surface. I really want to take advantage of this as well. I maybe have more experience on clay, but I wouldn’t pick one favourite surface.”

Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin’s red-hot start to 2023 keeps getting better.

The first-placed team in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings advanced to the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday when they ousted Simone Bolelli and Fabrice Martin 4-6, 6-4, 10-7. The Mexican-French duo saved four of five break points to move on at the Caja Magica.

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin’s first full year as a team has been fruitful. They lifted the trophy in Marseille before earning ATP Masters 1000 glory at Miami. They are now two wins from claiming another Masters 1000 trophy, this time in Madrid. Next up will be top seeds Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski or Indian Wells champions Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden.

Fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer reached the last four with a 4-6, 6-2, 12-10 victory against Canadian singles stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. They saved one match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break.

The 2022 Turin competitors are off to another good start this season behind ATP 250 titles in Adelaide and Delray Beach. Arevalo will face Jamie Murray/Michael Venus or Karen Khachanov/Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas traded a great night on return with a modest night on serve to advance to the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Greek conceded three service breaks to World No. 42 Bernabe Zapata Miralles but remained in charge throughout thanks to seven service breaks of his own in a 6-3, 6-1 victory in a match that ended at 12.35am.

“It was definitely tricky; he came out pretty strong in some of my service games… it’s never easy playing against Spaniards who know the surface very well,” Tsitsipas said. “It seemed kind of chaotic in the beginning but then I gave myself time to think and construct my points.”

The two-time Monte-Carlo champion dominated his opponent’s serve, restricting Zapata Miralles to a first-serve winning percentage of 38 per cent. Tsitsipas, whose victory was highlighted by a series of down-the-line backhand winners, has reached the quarter-finals or better of his past 10 clay-court events. He will next meet Germany lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff.

Describing the satisfaction of nailing down-the-line backhand winners, Tsitsipas said, “It’s like hitting a home run with a baseball bat. I’m happy with how I was able to [direct] the ball. There were a few times when the ball came in deep and you’d expect a cross-court, but I was able to [redirect it down the line]. It’s something I have been working on.”

Attacking German Struff continued his hot clay-court, charging into his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after a tight 7-6(7), 6-7(7), 6-3 win over Argentine Pedro Cachin.

After rallying from 1-4 in the second set to force a tie-break, Struff missed the opportunity to close out the match in straight sets when he held match point at 6/7 in the ‘breaker. But he carried the momentum of his comeback into the third set to twice break Cachin to close out the match in two hours and 28 minutes.

“It’s amazing to be back in the quarters,” Struff said. “I told myself to remain calm [after failing to close out the match] because I felt I was playing good at the end of the second set and that the momentum was on my side.

“It was a battle today and the match was decided by small margins.”

Although both players won 108 points, Struff dictated play, clubbing 48 winners to Cachin’s 22 and winning 37 of 59 net approaches.

Struff lost to Aslan Karatsev in qualifying but came into the main draw as a lucky loser. He has surged 24 places this week to No. 41 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Should he reach the semi-finals he is projected to be within a couple of spots of his career-high mark of No. 29.

Can anyone stop Carlos Alcaraz from successfully defending his Mutua Madrid Open crown?

Karen Khachanov will take his shot at eliminating the Spanish star on Tuesday at the Caja Magica. The 10th seed is fresh off a Top 10 win over Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.

Even with Alcaraz in the top half of the draw, there is opportunity for the other quarter-finalists in the half. Seventeenth seed Borna Coric and lucky loser Daniel Altmaier will meet for the first time for a spot in the last four.

ATPTour.com previews the first two Madrid quarter-finals.

[1] Carlos Alcaraz vs. [10] Karen Khachanov

Alcaraz produced a ruthless performance on Tuesday to dismiss former World No. 2 and defending Madrid finalist Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2. It was an even more lopsided victory than the one the Spaniard earned in last year’s 6-3, 6-1 final at the Caja Magica.

The Alcaraz train is rolling down hill. Will Khachanov be able to stop it in its tracks?

History is not on the 26-year-old’s side. Alcaraz has won both of the pair’s previous ATP Head2Head meetings, which came last year at Roland Garros and Hamburg. In the five sets they played, Khachanov won just 11 games.

But the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters champion has consistently raised his level on the world’s biggest stages. He earned ATP Masters 1000 glory in Bercy and more recently advanced to the semi-finals at the US Open last year and the Australian Open and the Miami Open presented by Itau this year.

Entering the week, Khachanov owned a 1-5 record in Madrid. Now the 10th seed is into the quarter-finals after eliminating fifth seed and doubles partner Andrey Rublev.

“In Madrid it’s always a little bit [of a] different feeling. The altitude [has an impact] and the balls are flying much more,” Khachanov said in his on-court interview after defeating Rublev. “I think the years before I was trying to play the same way as I was playing the other years. But I think this year I changed a little bit the tactics and the strategy and I think it’s paying off. Hopefully I can continue that way.”

Khachanov will need to change something against Alcaraz, the defending champion who is now 26-2 on the season. In the 19-year-old’s past 15 victories, he has lost a set just once.

“I will try to play this level. I will try my best level. I have to show that in the quarter-finals,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “But obviously playing this match gives me a lot of confidence into the quarter-finals, so let’s see what happens.”

One thing to watch is how well Khachanov is able to control play during his service games. In the pair’s first two clashes, he managed to win less than 52 per cent of his service points. That number was 74 per cent against Rublev on Tuesday.

Alcaraz is trying to become the first player this season to claim two Masters 1000 crowns. If he manages the feat, the Spaniard will reclaim No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from Novak Djokovic after Rome if he plays a match at the Foro Italico.

[17] Borna Coric vs. [LL] Daniel Altmaier

Six years ago Borna Coric lost in the final round of qualifying in Madrid to Mikhail Kukushkin. However, then 19, the Croatian was slotted into the main draw as a lucky loser. Coric went on to upset then-World No. 1 Andy Murray and reach his first clay-court Masters 1000 quarter-final.

It is fitting that in his second Madrid quarter-final, Coric will face a lucky loser when he battles German Daniel Altmaier. It will be the pair’s first ATP Head2Head clash.

Coric needed three hours and 28 minutes to defeat home favourite Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5) for a place in the last eight. The longest best-of-three match of the season lasted three hours and 31 minutes between Hubert Hurkacz and Thanasi Kokkinakis in Miami.

“I just need to recover first. That’s going to be my focus today and then obviously for tomorrow I need to go out there and I need to play even better than today,” Coric said. “I need to serve better. I think my serve was not doing I would say a lot of damage today. But first I need to recover and then I’m going to focus for tomorrow.”

One advantage he will have over Altmaier is experience. Coric won his first Masters 1000 title last year in Cincinnati. This is Altmaier’s first trip this far into a Masters 1000 tournament.

But Altmaier, who has a one-handed backhand, will be confident having not lost a set in the main draw. The 24-year-old is up to No. 61 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Zhang Zhizhen made history on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he became the first Chinese player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

The 26-year-old accomplished the feat in style, saving three match points to rally past eighth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(8). It marked his first Top 10 win on his third attempt.

“I didn’t think about this. Didn’t really think about [his] ranking, because you just need to give the best you can,” Zhang said in his on-court interview. “Before the match, you know it’s a very tough player. There is no weakness, so [I] just tried what I can do. Then [after] losing the first set, [I was] thinking about trying to play a little bit closer match. In the end [that] I can win, that’s amazing.”

It has been a breakthrough week for the Chinese star, who upset World No. 13 Cameron Norrie in the third round. At the time, not only did that make him the first player from his country to reach the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 event, but it had been the biggest win of his career by Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

Zhang wasted no time adding to his resumé. He will next face former World No. 14 Aslan Karatsev for a spot in the semi-finals.

“I’ll tell you a secret. We had a practice, I lost 6-0 with Karatsev,” Zhang said. “I’ll do my best. Here everyone is a great player, huge player. They all have some very good results. [I will] try to do the best what I can do.”

The 26-year-old is up to No. 66 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, the best ranking of his career. If he defeats Karatsev, he is projected to crack the Top 50 and become the highest-ranked Chinese man in history, passing close friend Wu Yibing, who ascended to World No. 55 earlier this year.

Fritz will rue plenty of missed opportunities. The American led by a set and a break. Even when Zhang rallied, Fritz led 3/0 in the second-set tie-break and 6/4 in the third-set tie-break.

The eighth seed prides himself on his performance under pressure, but he was unable to land the final blow. Zhang played with courage, bludgeoning a forehand at 4/6 and then showing deft touch to erase another match point at 5/6.

Fritz earned his best opportunity at 8/7, when he overcooked a forehand from the middle of the court. Zhang, who entered the tournament with a 4-9 record in tour-level deciding sets, has now won three consecutive final-set tie-breaks.

“After so many losses you feel calm,” Zhang said, cracking a smile. “You don’t feel too much after you lose so many matches.”

Did You Know?
This was the 11th final-set tie-break in the tournament, which is an ATP Masters 1000 record. The old mark was 10 final-set tie-breaks at the BNP Paribas Open in 2014 and 2018.

This week’s jam-packed ATP Challenger Tour 175 events began main-draw action Tuesday, with stars such as Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alexander Bublik among those who made a winning start.

The Australian Kokkinakis defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round after winning 17 of 21 points off his first serve and converting seven of 11 break points at the Sardegna Open in Cagliari, Italy.

Kokkinakis will next meet Alessandro Giannessi or Francesco Passaro at the clay-court event, where Yoshihito Nishioka and Ben Shelton are the top two seeds.

It was a day for Italian Mattia Bellucci to remember, as he earned his first Top-100 win by upsetting fifth seed Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The 21-year-old will next face his countryman Giulio Zeppieri, who survived wild card Andrea Vavassori 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-4.

In other Cagliari action, Japan’s Taro Daniel downed American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. Daniel, World No. 109, will meet third seed Mackenize McDonald on Thursday.

Aix-en-Provence
Sixth seed Alexander Bublik enjoyed a strong start at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole, where he edged Riccardo Bonadio 7-6(5), 7-5. The Kazakh will meet three-time Challenger champion Otto Virtanen in the second round after the Finn earned a hard-fought 7-6(4), 7-6(7) win against Frenchman Alexandre Muller.

David Goffin ousted home favourite Benoit Paire 7-6(0), 6-1. The Belgian fended off three set points at 4-5 in the opening set before rallying to down Paire after one hour, 25 minutes. Goffin will clash against fourth seed Mikael Ymer on Thursday.

David Goffin in action at the ATP Challenger 175 event in Aix-en-Provence, France. Credit: Jared Wickerham/ATP Tour

The 18-year-old Luca Van Assche, who is World No. 86, overcame Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-1 to set up a meeting against countryman and third seed Adrian Mannarino. Van Assche is the youngest player in the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and a three-time Challenger champion.

A star-studded Wednesday in southern France will include a showdown between three-time major champion Andy Murray and former World No. 6 Gael Monfils. Also among the Aix-en-Provence field is Tommy Paul, Alexander Bublik, and 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima.

Murray motion 🎞️ #ATPChallenger | @andy_murray pic.twitter.com/8gzG4LlpU6

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 2, 2023

A year on from their 2022 final clash, Carlos Alcaraz conjured a repeat result and a similarly scintillating performance against Alexander Zverev to charge into the quarter-finals at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open.

Alcaraz was dominant from the outset in Tuesday’s clash, barely putting a foot wrong in his 6-1, 6-2 triumph against the two-time champion Zverev on Manolo Santana Stadium. He dropped just eight points behind serve and was a constant menace on return as he broke the German’s serve four times in an emphatic 83-minute triumph

“For me it’s amazing to play the level that I played today,” said Alcaraz. “It’s been a question mark for me… I played well, I feel really good right now and this match gives me a lot of confidence.

“At the beginning [I felt nerves], but you have to handle [them]. The best players in the world handle the nerves really [well] and I want to be like them. Trying not to show the opponent that I’m nervous at all. I just want to enjoy playing here in the Caja Magica in front of my home crowd. It’s been amazing for me to play here, so I just enjoy every moment.”

Stepping on court seeking his 18th straight ATP Tour victory on Spanish soil, Alcaraz immediately set about demonstrating his best level to the vocal home fans. He struck the ball with power and accuracy from the first game to heap pressure on Zverev and broke the German’s serve in the second and sixth games en route to the opening set.

Zverev, who prevailed in the pair’s most recent previous ATP Head2Head meeting at Roland Garros last year, was unable to raise his level to match the 19-year-old Spaniard. Alcaraz reeled off five games in a row from 1-2 in the second set as his lightning-fast movement around the court enabled him to redirect his opponent’s heavy groundstrokes with ease.

The Spaniard finished the match with 21 winners to Zverev’s nine, and his triumph improved his ATP Head2Head record against the German to 2-3. Alcaraz will take on Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals in the Spanish capital after the 10th seed downed Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev 7-6(8), 6-4 earlier on Tuesday

Now 26-2 for the season, Alcaraz has extra motivation as he pursues his fourth tour-level title of the year in Madrid. If he successfully defends his trophy in the Spanish capital, he will be guaranteed to usurp Novak Djokovic and return to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings simply by playing a match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome later this month.

“I will try to play this level,” said Alcaraz when asked about his quarter-final against Khachanov. “I will say this is my best level. I have to show that in the quarter-final, but obviously playing this match gives me a lot of confidence… Let’s see what happens.”

Also in action Tuesday, Borna Coric escaped Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5) to advance to the Madrid quarter-finals for the first time since 2017.

Locked in the third-set tie-break, Coric earned a mini break at 5/5 with a dead let cord that left the Spaniard no chance of retrieving the ball. The World No. 20 Coric closed out the three-hour, 28-minute victory on the next point.

The Croatian will next meet German Daniel Altmaier, who defeated home hope Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-0 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. The 24-year-old Altmaier, who was slotted into the main draw as a lucky loser, won 12 of 15 points off his second delivery and saved all four break points faced to advance.

Altmaier is the first lucky loser in the Madrid quarter-finals since Coric’s run to the last eight in 2017.

Aslan Karatsev reaffirmed his return to top form with a stunning upset of second seed Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The former World No. 14 and three-time tour-level titlist delivered a remarkable barrage of baseline hitting en route to a 7-6(1), 6-4 triumph against the in-form Medvedev on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium. Karatsev’s power and the consistent depth of his groundstrokes proved too much even for Medvedev, one of the best defenders on Tour, to handle.

“I’m feeling great, playing well,” said Karatsev, who now holds a 6-7 record against Top 10 opponents. “I just have to focus every match, so I will be prepared for the next one… [Against top players] you just concentrate more, you have to be 100 per cent, you have to focus more because they do not give you any free points.

“You have to be consistent and mentally tough, so I think I’m doing well.”

Karatsev charged to the first-set tie-break with four clean winners in eight points and claimed a decisive break in the fifth game of the second set to seal a 93-minute victory. The World No. 121, who came through qualifying to reach the main draw in Madrid, will next face Taylor Fritz or Zhang Zhizhen at the Caja Magica.

Karatsev dropped as low as No. 129 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on 17 April after a modest past 12 months, but the 29-year-old has now defeated seeded players Botic van de Zandschulp, Alex de Minaur and Medvedev in consecutive rounds in Madrid. Now up to No. 89 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his exploits in Spain, he is feeling confident as he prepares for his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title.

“I was struggling last year,” said Karatsev after improving his ATP Head2Head record against Medvedev to 2-1. “I’m really happy with my game [now], so well see what [happens next].”

Good friends and doubles partners, but there could only be one winner Tuesday on the singles court.

It was Karen Khachanov who kept his cool to down Andrey Rublev 7-6(8), 6-4 in the pair’s fourth-round clash at the Mutua Madrid Open. The 10th-seeded Khachanov took control of a closely fought encounter by rallying from 4/6 to claim the first-set tie-break and he carried that momentum to a one-hour, 42-minute victory on Manolo Santana Stadium.

“It’s always tricky to play against each other because on one side we know each other’s games perfectly because we’ve been training together for so many years,” said Khachanov. “At the same time we know what to expect, but also of course a bit nervous to play against each other. We are good friends, but on the court we are rivals.

“It was all a matter of keeping the serve, and if you have any chances on the return, go for it. That’s what I did.”

Khachanov saved the only break point he faced and won 80 per cent (35/44) of points behind first serves to take a 3-2 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Rublev. The pair also met in Monte-Carlo three weeks ago, when Rublev prevailed en route to lifting his maiden Masters 1000 crown.

“Both of us served really well and we didn’t have any chance on return in the first set,” said Khachanov of the pair’s Madrid clash. “The tie-break was really crucial I would say, pretty similar to how it was in Monte-Carlo. He took the first set in a tie-break [there] and started to believe more in the second set.”

With his Madrid win, Khachanov moved to 19-0 in matches when he has won the first set in 2023. The 26-year-old, who has risen one spot to No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Madrid run, will take on defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or 13th seed Alexander Zverev next at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 as he attempts to reach his third tour-level semi-final of the year.

Despite his Madrid campaign coming to an end, the World No. 6 Rublev is still in the hunt for a trophy at the Caja Magica. He and Khachanov are set to take on Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the quarter-finals of the doubles.

“At the end of the day, this match is over,” said Khachanov when asked about returning to court alongside Rublev. “We need to have some time maybe to absorb it. That’s how it was in Monte-Carlo. The day before we played doubles, we lost a very tight match, and then the next day he beat me. After one day, life goes on. He’s doing well this year, I’m doing well, I’m just happy.”