Ominous Iga Swiatek, stuttering Stefanos Tsitsipas, Zhang Zhizhen fairytale over - 3 takeaways from Madrid Open
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Updated 05/05/2023 at 17:00 GMT
Iga Swiatek was back baking breadsticks in the early hours to set-up a top-two clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s final at the Mutua Madrid Open, but there was a shock on the men’s side as Stefanos Tsitsipas was a big-name casualty. Paul Hassall was at La Caja Magica late into the night to take in some of the best bits from the Day 11 action.
Highlights as Karatsev Defeats Zhang at the Madrid Open
All hail the Clay Queen
Another WTA tournament on the red dirt, another final for Clay Queen Iga Swiatek.
The World No. 1’s solid form this year (25-4) has perhaps been under appreciated given that it hasn’t quite been of the sizzling level which saw her embark upon a 37-match win streak that secured six straight WTA titles in 2022, including a second Roland Garros crown.
The 21-year-old Pole has failed to defend her titles in Qatar and Indian Wells - and she was absent from Miami - which has led some tennis observers to claim she looks more fallible this season, but you’d be foolish to look beyond her during the European clay swing.
She may not have hit such halcyon heights just yet but the signs are looking ominous on the dirt as she has followed up her win over World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA 500 in Stuttgart with another relentlessly tough-to-beat push in Madrid.
Indeed, Swiatek's 6-1 6-1 rout of Veronika Kudermetova in the semis means she has won 27 clay-court matches and notched up four titles on the surface since the start of last year and she appears to be in ‘Pole’ position to add more silverware to that tally in the months ahead, with a third straight title in Rome and a third Roland Garros crown firmly on her radar.
This is just her second trip to the Spanish capital with her first ending in a third-round exit to Ana Konjuh in 2021, which may one day have shock value in a similar context to Robin Soderling v Rafael Nadal at the 2009 French Open, such is her calibre on clay.
She made short work of Kudermetova despite another late, late show as a result of some tough scheduling (which itself is a topic to discuss for another time), and now, there’s the small matter of a top-two showdown with Sabalenka on Saturday in another final that helps raise the profile of their developing rivalry.
Will Iga claim a maiden crown here and the sixth WTA 1000 title of her career? Or will Australian Open champion Aryna conjure up some revenge she has so openly discussed following that Stuttgart defeat?
Either way, it has serious potential to be a real crowd-pleaser, and we can’t wait to see it play out….
No revenge for Tsitsipas
Is Stefanos Tsitsipas’ clay-court game over-rated?
It seems like a harsh discussion given that the World No. 5’s CV on the ‘Terre Battue’ stands above most on Tour as a French Open finalist, two-time Monte Carlo champion, a finalist in both Rome and Madrid, as well as a four-time title winner on clay overall.
Notably, the Greek was two sets up on Novak Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final and a net cord away from beating the King of Clay Rafael Nadal on quite literally his own court in Barcelona the same year.
However, it would be fair to assert that the 24-year-old hasn’t quite gone on to great success in terms of the currency of silverware on this surface since that excellent clay-court swing two years ago, and his name is often associated with the term ‘dark horse’ when it comes to the star names our Eurosport experts tip to hold aloft the top-tier prizes.
Granted, the final hurdle in terms of accumulating more trophies has often involved Djokovic or Nadal – and now there’s Carlos Alcaraz to contend with too.
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Highlights: Tsitsipas beats Zapata Miralles to reach quarters in Madrid
But for much of this 2023 clay swing that bar has not been as high. In Monte Carlo his defence as two-time champion was surprisingly ended in the quarter finals by Taylor Fritz and now lucky loser Jan Lennard-Struff has ousted him in Madrid at the same stage. In both cases it looked like the draw had opened up for him to pave a path to the final.
The talk around the grounds here at the Manzanares Park Tennis Center was the prospect of a re-match of the Barcelona final which saw Tsitsipas lose to Carlos Alcaraz less than two weeks ago.
That potential showdown has now been dashed and Tsitsipas is faced with much bigger problems than the ones posed by Alcaraz in their 0-4 head-to-head match-up.
Speaking after that final defeat in Barcelona, Tsitsipas said: “I have to practice to improve things, that’s the only way that I know to change something in the future. I don’t have any other solutions for beating a player who’s a big obstacle for me.”
Sadly for the Greek, his troubles seem to have escalated and it's not just 'Charlie' causing him to lose sleep - and matches - now.
The talk of hard work to reach loftier heights seems even more poignant now, particularly if he’s to get back to the level where he was once within touching distance of being able to down both a firing Djokovic and a fit Nadal on this surface. On current evidence, he looks some way short of that heading into Rome…
Zhang fairytale comes to an end
What do Cam Norrie, Taylor Fritz and Denis Shapovalov all have in common?
No, it’s not that they grew up honing their tennis skills on the North American continent; that’s too easy and it’s far more immediate than that.
Give up?
Well, right now, they could all (along with Austrian qualifier Jurij Rodionov) provide you with a first-hand assessment of the talents of Chinese underdog Zhang Zhizhen.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable surge through the draw in the Spanish capital, vanquishing high-profile foes on his way to a maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final.
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Highlights: Zhang upsets Fritz to become first Chinese player to reach ATP 1000 quarter-final
It’s the type of ‘long-shot’ run that hits the tennis headlines every year and always adds a refreshing slant to a sport where the top stars predominantly take the limelight, the cash and the major trophies.
Intriguingly, the World No. 99 was actually the higher-ranked player when he took on Aslan Karatsev (121), himself a player who knows all about enjoying a purple patch deep into his 20s having become the first man to reach the last four at a major on debut at the Australian Open in 2021.
Karatsev has won three ATP titles since that surprise impact Down Under (one at ATP 500 level, two at 250) and for many the 29-year-old, who has been a career-high 14 in recent years, was the favourite to come out on top in the first match of the day on Manolo Santana Stadium.
It was a tight affair and the press box was busy with journalists keen to see if Zhang could pull off another huge win. He couldn’t quite find a way this time around and Karatsev made it seven straight victories in Madrid to steal the fairytale tournament glory from right under his opponent’s nose by becoming only the second qualifier ever to reach the semi finals in the Spanish capital.
That was later somewhat upstaged by Lucky Loser Jan-Lennard Struff, who Karatsev will face for the second time in Madrid as part of a strange quirk of fate, having beaten the German in qualifying.
Back then it was a showdown to reach the main draw - but now, 10 days later, this one will decide who reaches the final of a Masters 1000 tournament. It's a bizarre situation but an intriguing one all the same as the ATP side of the Madrid draw keeps us all guessing as to what twist will happen next.
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