Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jan-Lennard Struff to defend Madrid Open title

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jan-Lennard Struff in a thrilling three-set match to secure the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open.

Defending titles is quickly becoming the norm for Carlos Alcaraz. After defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas to defend his Barcelona Open championship, this is the second consecutive clay-court tournament where he is repeating as champion. Just turning 20 years old a few days ago, Alcaraz now has 10 ATP titles to his name.

While he was highly expected to win today’s match, Jan-Lennard Struff didn’t go down without a fight. Carlos Alcaraz was listed as high as a -1700 favorite on sportsbooks yet the match went three sets and lasted just about two-and-a-half hours.

Carlos Alcaraz: Defense wins championships

Jan-Lennard Struff had more aces and winners than Carlos Alcaraz with the same amount of unforced errors, but Alcaraz’s defense on the return was the difference. The World No. 2-ranked player won 39 percent of his return points compared to Struff’s 36 percent and took advantage of the second serve opportunities Jan-Lennard Struff afforded him (55 percent second return points won).

2023 year of Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz has been doing everything in his power to regain his status as World No.1 since the New Year. His path to the Madrid Open Final wasn’t an easy one, although he made it feel that way.

Before Jan-Lennard Struff, Alcaraz defeated players such as Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov, and Borna Coric. He didn’t drop a single set in any of those matches.

It is safe to say that the Spaniard certainly enjoys playing on home his home turf. Alcaraz has won 21 consecutive matches on Spanish clay courts. With the French Open just two weeks away, he will look to carry this momentum into Stade Roland Garros in pursuit of his fourth Grand Slam tournament title. It is remarkable to see what this young man is accomplishing before turning 21 years old and he should only continue to improve.