Frances Tiafoe staged a dramatic final-set comeback to stun in-form Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the semi-finals of the Millennium Estoril Open Friday.

The fifth-seeded American completed unfinished business from the second set, when he rallied from 2-5 to 5-all, only to see the recent Monte-Carlo finalist clinch the set. In the decider, the World No. 29 also found himself in a hole at 2-5 but after once again fighting back to 5-all, he this time pushed on to claim victory 7-6(5). 5-7, 7-5 in two hours, 59 minutes after taking the final five games of the match.

“Be stronger than your biggest excuse,” Tiafoe wrote on the TV camera after the comeback.

A two-time Estoril semi-finalist, Davidovich Fokina converted just four of 17 break point chances during the match, while Tiafoe went four of eight. The 24-year-old Tiafoe made his only clay-court final in 2018 in Estoril (l. to Sousa).

In Saturday’s semi-final Tiafoe will play fellow American Sebastian Korda, who enjoyed a crushing 6-2, 6-2 win over Canadian top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has won just four of his past 10 matches.

Korda, who avenged a 2021 Acapulco loss to the current World No. 10, was dominant on return, winning a commanding 50 per cent of first-serve returns and 55 per cent of second-serve returns. World No. 37 Korda improved to 13-7 on the year and 3-5 lifetime against Top 10 opponents. On Saturday he will look for his first win in three meetings with Tiafoe.

Defending champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas is two wins from retaining his crown after winning the battle of the Spanish left-handers against Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-2 to reach the last four at the clay-court ATP 250. Ramos-Vinolas now leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 6-5 and has won eight consecutive sets in their rivalry.

“I think it’s always difficult to play against a player that you know a lot. We’ve played a lot of times and it was a difficult match,” Ramos-Vinolas said in his on-court interview. “I think I played very serious from the beginning until the end and I’m really happy because I beat a really good opponent.”

The 34-year-old has won eight straight matches in Estoril, with two of those victories coming against Verdasco. Ramos-Vinolas needed three sets to triumph in his first two matches this week, but the result was never in doubt against his countryman.

One year after defeating Verdaco 6-3, 6-3 at the Portuguese event, the four-time ATP Tour titlist saved the only break point he faced and won 53 per cent of his first-serve return points to control the match. Ramos-Vinolas will next play 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Sebastian Baez.

Argentine Baez is eyeing his second final of the season after rallying to defeat Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour, 55 minutes, with the French veteran paying the price for putting just 46 per cent of first serves into play.

Baez, who converted five of the six break points he earned, reached the Santiago final in February and is now 13-11 on the season.

“All the matches this week have been difficult and today was no different,” Baez said. “I expect another great battle tomorrow.”

Botic van de Zandschulp bamboozled second seed Casper Ruud on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the BMW Open by American Express.

After a tight opening set, the eighth-seeded Dutchman cruised past the seven-time ATP Tour titlist 7-5, 6-1 to reach the last four in Munich.

“Maybe the score is easier than it really was,” van de Zandschulp said in his on-court interview. “The first set [was] really tight, I think. A great battle in the first one. I had some opportunities to break him in the beginning. Didn’t take him. Gladly [at] 5-all I made the break and held the serve at 6-5.

“[The] second set was a little bit easier, but I think I played really well today.”

Ruud does well to control play from his backhand corner by running around and hitting heavy forehands, but he was unable to consistently make van de Zandschulp uncomfortable. The 26-year-old saved the only break point he faced and won 50 per cent of his first-serve return points to triumph after one hour and 34 minutes. 

The eighth seed, who also defeated Ruud at last year’s US Open en route to the quarter-finals, will next play Miomir Kecmanovic. The Serbian continued his strong start to the season with a 7-6(5), 6-2 win against fourth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Less than a month ago, Kecmanovic defeated van de Zandschulp 7-6(3), 7-5 at the BNP Paribas Open on the hard courts of Indian Wells. That was their first ATP Head2Head clash.

“It was not clay, it was a pretty close score,” van de Zandschulp said. “Looking forward to the match. I think he’s had a great season so far and he’s a great player. It’s going to be a good match.”

Carlos Alcaraz has caught the tennis world’s attention with his rapid rise into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. The Spanish star has not just earned the respect of his colleagues on the ATP Tour, but also the Hologic WTA Tour.

Alcaraz’s countrywoman, WTA World No. 2 Paula Badosa, was quick to praise the 18-year-old ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open, where they both will be competing.

“Of course Carlos is insane. Sometimes in press, especially in Spanish press, I’m asked whether I have some advice for Carlos. And maybe he has to tell me something and advise!” Badosa said. “Because when I was 18 years old I was doing completely different things than him. So I think he’s doing everything very good.”

Alcaraz’s results speak for themselves — the teen won his first ATP Masters 1000 and first two ATP 500 trophies earlier this year. But Badosa was equally complimentary of his character. The duo recently joined Pablo Carreno Busta and Ons Jabeur on a visit to the Miami Rescue Mission as part of Miami Open Unites.

“He’s a humble guy. He’s very nice and deserves everything he’s doing,” Badosa said. “He’s gong to be even better and that’s going to be good for world tennis, but even more for Spanish players.”

Another WTA star, Naomi Osaka, has spoken this year about examining the games of Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios to improve her tennis. But she has also been excited by Alcaraz’s rise.

“You know it’s funny, I don’t know if I’m going to be blasted for saying this, but I feel like he’s genuinely made everyone excited about the ATP and I haven’t seen that in a very long time,” Osaka said. “I’m not even really thinking about his age, like every time someone brings up his age, I’m like, ‘Oh wow, I forget, that’s so cool’.

“I think just his game style, just how pumped he is, I feel like I’m watching [him] learn with every tournament. I don’t know what his ranking was last year here, but I’ve watched almost every tournament that he’s played, the US Open when he played [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and just to see the growth I think is really exciting for everyone.”

Maximo Gonzalez and Andre Goransson overcame Pablo Cuevas and Joao Sousa 7-6(3), 7-5 on Thursday to reach the Millennium Estoril Open semi-finals.

The Argentine-Swedish tandem saved two set points on serve at 4-5 in the first set and broke three times to triumph after one hour and 39 minutes.

Gonzalez and Goransson are teaming for the first time this week and will next meet Ben McLachlan and Raven Klaasen after the fourth seeds edged past Jonathan Erlich and Lloyd Harris 4-6, 6-1, 10-4.

Klaasen earned his 300th tour-level doubles win on Tuesday and is aiming to win his third ATP Tour trophy with McLachlan.

Krawietz/Mies March On In Munich
Third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies continued to back up their Barcelona title win on Thursday, advancing to the semi-finals at the BMW Open by American Express.

The German duo saved all four break points they faced en route to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni. Krawietz is defending the crown he won in 2021 with Wesley Koolhof at the ATP 250 event, with Mies missing most of last year due to knee surgery.

Krawietz and Mies will next play Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara after the British-Finnish team upset second seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek 7-6(1), 7-6(6).

Andrey Golubev and Fabrice Martin backed up their win over top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic by eliminating Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 34 minutes.

The unseeded pair will meet David Vega Hernandez and Rafael Matos in the last four after the Brazilian-Spanish upset fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop 6-3, 6-4.

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime survived a scare Thursday at the Millennium Estoril Open, overcoming Spaniard Carlos Taberner 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.

After a stuttering start, the World No. 10, who is making his main-draw debut in Estoril, began to outmanoeuvre Taberner as the match went on, pulling the lucky loser around with his aggressive groundstrokes in the second and third sets to advance after one hour and 55 minutes.

Auger-Aliassime also defeated Taberner last week in Barcelona. The 21-year-old will next meet eighth-seeded American Sebastian Korda or Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in the last eight.

Earlier this season, Auger-Aliassime lifted his maiden tour-level trophy in Rotterdam before he reached the final in Marseille.

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In other action, Sebastian Baez showed his fighting qualities as he battled back to down third seed Marin Cilic 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 52 minutes at the ATP 250 clay-court event.

The Argentine, who reached the semi-finals at the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, has enjoyed a strong 2022 campaign, and is now into his third tour-level quarter-final of the year.

The 21-year-old advanced to the last eight in Cordoba, before he reached his first ATP Tour championship match in Santiago. Baez, currently at a career-high No. 59 in the ATP Rankings, is now 9-6 on the year on clay.

Baez will next play former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet after the Frenchman eliminated Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien 7-6(5), 6-2 in two hours and 11 minutes. Gasquet has fond memories in Estoril, having lifted the title in 2015.

Casper Ruud recovered from a slow start in his opening match at the BMW Open by American Express Thursday, edging Slovakian Alex Molcan 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Munich.

The Norwegian struggled to find his range in the first set as Molcan forced Ruud into errors with his brutal ball-striking and accuracy. However, the second seed started to hit with greater consistency and depth as the match went on to advance after two hours and 17 minutes in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

“It was a very tough test. I didn’t get off to a great start,” Ruud said. “But I was able to fight back and find my rhythm and luckily I was able to do it a little bit towards the end of the first set, which I still lost, but it gave me some confidence for the second set.

“I started the second set well, I broke him right away. The third set was really close and even but I was able to get the break. It gives me confidence I am able to win matches like these.”

Ruud, who reached the semi-finals in Munich last year, is the highest seed left in the draw following top seed Alexander Zverev’s shock exit against #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old will be aiming to bounce back from his disappointing Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-final defeat to Pablo Carreno Busta and win his second tour-level title of the season at the ATP 250 event, after triumphing in Buenos Aires in February.

With his victory, the World No. 7 has improved to 8-2 on clay in 2022 and will next play Botic van de Zandschulp in his fourth quarter-final of the year.

“It will be another tough challenge,” Ruud said. “I lost to him at the US Open last year. That was the tournament he made a name for himself and started playing really well. I need to be prepared for a tough match.”

The Dutchman swept aside qualifier Egor Gerasimov 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the last eight at a tour-level event for the third time in 2022.

Van de Zandschulp, currently at a career-high No. 40 in the ATP Rankings, won 86 per cent (24/28) of his first-serve points and saved the one break point he faced to seal victory after 69 minutes.

If there is anyone you can learn about clay-court tennis from, it is Rafael Nadal. Ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open, WTA star Naomi Osaka said she has been trying to implement something the Spaniard does into her own game.

“I think I stole one of the things that he did and I’ve been practising it recently,” Osaka said, without going into specifics. “It’ll either go really good or really bad. There’s like no in between. But I think as I’ve been doing it, it’s been going pretty well. 

“Honestly I’ve been wanting to watch the really good clay-court players practise because I feel like I’m the type of person that learns really fast if I see it up close, and honestly it’s a bit of a waste to have all these really good professional tennis players and not watch them. I’ve kind of wanted to see [Carlos] Alcaraz, so it’d be cool to watch everyone practise.”

The search for improvement is nothing new for Osaka. In Miami, the 24-year-old mentioned she had recently studied Nick Kyrgios’ serve in Los Angeles. 

 

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The former World No. 1 is happy to try to learn from others, but don’t expect to see her hitting reverse forehands with a follow-through quite like Nadal’s at the Caja Magica.

“[Can you] Imagine? I’ve actually been warming up kind of left-handed but I don’t think that’s a skill that’s going to show itself anytime soon,” Osaka said. “It’s just like for technical reasons. If I hit left-handed forehands, it’s easier to hit a backhand if that makes sense. 

“I know that every kid growing up playing tennis in the world has pretended to be Nadal at least once.” 

Third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies were made to dig deep at the BMW Open by American Express in Munich on Wednesday, but the German duo came good to clinch a 6-4, 6-7(8), 10-6 win over Hans Hach Verdugo and Philipp Oswald.

On a day when singles favourite Alexander Zverev was upset by Holger Rune at the ATP 250 event, Krawietz and Mies gave the home fans something to cheer about as the third seeds recovered from the disappointment of losing a second set tie-break to book a second-round meeting with Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.

Krawietz and Mies won their first tour-level title since Roland Garros in 2020 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Sunday, and they will seek to extend their good form by bettering their quarter-final run from their only previous appearance in Munich in 2019. Krawietz is defending the title he won in 2021 with Wesley Koolhof at the ATP 250 event, with Mies missing most of last year due to knee surgery.

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A busy day of doubles action in Bavaria also saw Andrey Golubev and Fabrice Martin upset top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic with a 6-4, 7-5 victory, leaving 2021 year-end No. 1 doubles team Mektic and Pavic still hunting a first title in 2022. Golubev and Martin will next face Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov, after the 2021 Belgrade champions eased past Julio Peralta and Franko Skugor, 6-3, 6-2.

Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop also got their Munich campaign off to a solid start, with the fourth seeds running out 6-1, 6-4 winners over German wild cards Philipp Kohlschreiber and Max Hans Rehberg.

Murray/Venus Survive Scare In Estoril
At the Millennium Estoril Open, top seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus looked to have lost their momentum after Robin Haase and Lukasz Kubot broke twice to storm to the second set in their first-round match. The top-seeded British-New Zealand pairing bounced back in style, however, clinching the Match Tie-break after surging to an unassailable 5-0 lead as they completed a 7-5, 2-6, 10-5 win.

Portuguese wild cards Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral channelled home support to pull off a 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 upset of third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, while Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi also enjoyed Match Tie-break success in a 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 win over Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic.

The second clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season will see the world’s best players compete at the Mutua Madrid Open, with World No.1 Novak Djokovic, Monte Carlo tiltist Stefanos Tsitsipas and Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in action.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament in the Spanish capital:

When is the Mutua Madrid Open?

The 2022 Mutua Madrid Open will be held from 1-8 May. The clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 2002, will take place at the Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain. The tournament director is Feliciano Lopez.

Who is playing at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open?

The Mutua Madrid Open will feature Top 10 stars Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, who is the reigning champion.

When is the draw for the Mutua Madrid Open?

The Monte-Carlo draw will be made on Friday 29 April at 6:30 p.m.

What is the schedule for the Mutua Madrid Open 1000 event?

* Qualifying: Saturday, 30 April – Sunday, 1 May at 11:00 a.m.
* Main Draw: Sunday, 1 May at 12:30 p.m. Monday, 2 May – Thursday, 5 May at 12:00 p.m., Friday, 6 May – Saturday, 7 May at 2:00 p.m., Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 8 May at 3:30 p.m.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 8 May at 6:30 p.m.
*View On Official Website

What is the prize money and points for the Mutua Madrid Open?

The prize money for the Mutua Madrid Open is €6,744,165 and the Total Financial Commitment is €7,499,290.

SINGLES
Winner: €1,041,570 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €568,790 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: €311,025/ 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €169,650 / 180 points
Round of 16: €90,745 / 90 points
Round of 32: €48,655 / 45 points
Round of 64: €26,960 / 10 points

DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: €319,570 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €173,600/ 600 points
Semi-finalist: €95,350 / 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €52,610 / 180 points
Round of 16: €28,930 / 90 points
Round of 32: €15,780 / 0 points

How can I watch the Mutua Madrid Open?

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How can I follow the Mutua Madrid Open?

Hashtag: #MMOPEN
Facebook: @mutuamadridopen
Twitter: @MutuaMadridOpen
Instagram: #MMOPEN

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Who won the last edition of the Mutua Madrid Open in 2021?

Alexander Zverev won the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open singles title with a 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-3 victory against Matteo Berrettini in the championship match (Read & Watch). Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos lifted the doubles trophy in Madrid with a 1-6, 6-3, 10-8 triumph against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the final (Read More).

Who holds the Madrid record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Rafael Nadal (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Daniel Nestor (5)
Oldest Champion: Andre Agassi, 32, in 2002
Youngest Champion: Rafael Nadal, 19, in 2005
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003, Roger Federer in 2006, Rafael Nadal in 2014, Novak Djokovic in 2016, 2019
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 25 David Nalbandian in 2007
Last Home Champion: Rafael Nadal in 2017
Most Match Wins: Rafael Nadal (52)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Key Storylines

Record-Holder Rafa: Nadal has won a record five Madrid titles over the years, but his last triumph came back in 2017. The 35-year-old has not competed since American Taylor Fritz ended his perfect start to the season in Indian Wells in March. The World No. 4 will be seeking his fourth title of a standout season at the clay-court event.

Djokovic Finding Form: Three-time Madrid champ Novak Djokovic will compete in his fourth tournament of the season when he takes to court at the Masters 1000 event. The Serb, who lifted the trophy in the Spanish capital in his last appearance in 2019, played his way into form on home soil at the Serbia Open last week, earning hard-fought three-set wins over Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic and Karen Khachanov to reach his first final of the season.

Tsitsipas Aiming For Title No. 2: Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas will be aiming to win his second clay-court ATP Masters 1000 trophy of the season in Madrid, having successfully retained his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters crown in April. The World No. 5 will be making his fourth appearance in the Spanish capital, with his best result a run to the final in 2019.

Red-Hot Alcaraz: The 18-year-old Alcaraz has broken new ground in 2022, becoming the youngest Miami men’s champion in the event’s 37-year history and the first teen to break into the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings since Andy Murray in 2007. The Spaniard will be looking to add a third title of the year to his CV on home soil in Madrid, after also clinching the trophy in Rio de Janeiro in February.

Reigning Champ Zverev: The 25-year-old has produced some of his best tennis in Madrid over the years, lifting the trophy in 2018 and 2021. The German, who defeated Matteo Berrettini in the championship match last year, is a five-time Masters 1000 champ and two-time Nitto ATP Finals victor, but he is still searching for his maiden trophy this year.

Ruud, Felix & Rublev Looking To Go Deep: The Top 10 members have all enjoyed strong starts to the 2022 season, winning four ATP Tour titles between them. Ruud, who triumphed in Buenos Aires, reached the semi-finals in Madrid last year, while Rotterdam champ Auger-Aliassime has never been beyond the second round in two previous appearances. Rublev, who lifted trophies in Marseille and Dubai in February and in Belgrade last week, enjoyed a run to the last eight in 2021.

Did You Know?
In 2009, the tournament switched to clay courts and moved to May after being play on indoor-hard in October from 2002-2008.