Tennis
Alcarath won the title in Madrid for the second consecutive year, beating Struff 2-1
Carlos Alcarath managed to defeat the again outstanding Jan Leonard Struff and won the Madrid Open for the 2nd time in a row and also the 10th title in his career with 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 after 2.5 hours .
Carlos Alcarath managed to defeat the again outstanding Jan Leonard Struff and won the Madrid Open for the 2nd time in a row and also the 10th title in his career with 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 after 2.5 hours .
The 20-year-old Spaniard finished 21st in a row on Spanish soil, going 19-1 on clay this season, scoring his 29th win in 2023 (29-2) and reaching 4 Masters 1000 titles before just 21st was Rafa Nadal, who had reached 9!
At the same time, Alcarath clinched back-to-back titles in Madrid, something only Nadal had managed in 2013-14, while also becoming the youngest to defend his Masters 1000 title since Nadal in Rome in 2005-2006.
The Spaniard had won just 67% of the points from serve position on one of his worst nights behind first serve (43/64), which had fallen below 55% in the final, had 3/11 break points, 19 winners but also 31 unforced Mistake.
On the other hand, Struff played brilliantly at the net, catching the Spaniard with his imposing serve & volley game, but more importantly, he didn’t let Alcarath find a rhythm.
The endgame started ideally for Alkarath, who found the break (1-0) at the first opportunity and then made it 2-0 with a difficult hold.
But from the moment he got over the initial nervousness, Struff made it 8-1 to 2-2 in the biggest final of his career with an easy hold and an impressive break (love play), while he then took with a new hold 3-2 lead for the first time.
Alkarath struggled to hold with just 57% points won in the first serve, but it was evident in the sixth game when the score was 3-3.
The decisive set break followed immediately after Struff’s double fault with Alkarath leading 4:3 and a subsequent hold to make it 5:3.
The German was 5-4 behind, with the world no. 2 ending the set after a terrific hold to erase Struff’s triple break point (0/40) and sit 1-0 in the final.
The 2nd leg of the final started with Struff winning the first 3 games and finding a break in Alkarath’s first service game (3-0). The Spaniard reduced (3-1) and then tried to get his lost serve back in the ensuing 14-minute game, with Struff erasing 5 break points to make it 4-1!
After that, the German’s serve was never in danger, Alakrat couldn’t find a solution for Struff’s serve & volley, who finished the set 6: 3 to 1: 1.
Everything indicated that the deciding set would be decided in a rest. Struff attempted this first, who managed a break point in game 3 (from 40/15) that Alkarath cleared and retained the lead (2-1).
But what the German failed to do at the time, the 20-year-old did right away, found a break (3-1) and celebrated frantically.
From then on, Alkarath found a rhythm in his game and especially in his serve. It’s no coincidence that from the break, the percentage of points won on the first serve reached 84%!
Alkarath redeemed the break with a love game (4:1), while a little later he threatened Struff with a new break, who started making mistakes but also didn’t find the first serve easily. The German fell back to 4-2, but Alcarath’s consistency in service sealed victory and the title in Madrid, as well as his 10th title of his career.
Source: Tennis24.gr
Source: sport 24
They will face each other in the 3rd round of the Australian Open on January 23 Elina Svitolina (WTA 12) and Diana Schneider (WTA 22).
The meeting is planned to start at 10:00 Kyiv time.
Sport.ua together with a betting partner bet announcing the upcoming fight!
Elina Svitolina
Ukraine’s first racquet is having an excellent season; He confirmed his top seed status by winning the tournament in Auckland. Svitolina started her journey in this tournament by defeating Spanish athlete Cristina Buxa with scores of 6:4, 6:1. In the second round, she managed to defeat Polish Linda Klimovichova with sets of 7:5 and 6:1.
The Ukrainian player increased his first serve percentage in the second match compared to the first match: 64% versus 49%. The upcoming opponent for Elina is the toughest opponent of the season, this applies both in terms of ratings and class. Potentially, Svitolina could play the winner of Mirra Andreeva – Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the next round.
Diana Schneider
“Nötrka” has already managed to play in two tournaments this season, looked good and was ahead of its rivals in the top 10. In Brisbane, Schneider defeated another former “neutral” Anastasia Potapova, representing Austria, 6:1, 6:3. And then, in the tough fight, Madison Keys was defeated with scores of 7:6, 6:7, 6:7.
In Adelaide, the athlete defeated the following rivals: Leila Fernandez – 7:5, 6:3, Katerina Sinyakova – 6:1, 2:6, 7:5, followed by a victory over American Emma Navarro – 6:3, 6:3. Only in the semifinals did Mirra Andreeva lose with sets of 3:6, 2:6. At the Australian Open, the tennis player started with victories of 2:6, 6:3, 6:3 against the experienced Czech Barbora Krejcikova. The match against Australian Tallia Gibson was incredibly difficult – 3:6, 7:5, 6:3 and she managed to win three match points in the second set.
Match prediction
As statistics show, the rivals never played each other. The Ukrainian athlete is seen as the slight favorite of this pair. Svitolina is ten years older than him and has more experience.
In such a confrontation, a stubborn struggle that can lead to any outcome should be expected. There is no need to remind how important the match against the “neutral” will be for the Ukrainians. Here I would risk betting more than 20.5 total games for 1.64.
Elina Svitolina01/23/2026 –
10:00
Diana Schneider 1.64 place a bet KRAIL License No. 559 dated 12/05/2024 Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev He reacted to the interview with a Ukrainian woman at the press conference Alexandra Oleynikova For the L’Équipe publication in which he accused the Russians of supporting Putin:
– The Ukrainian tennis player said that, in his opinion, Russians should not be allowed to participate in international tennis tournaments. He also condemned players, including you, for participating in an exhibition match sponsored by a major Russian oil company with ties to the war in Ukraine. How will you react to this?
– In general, I respect everyone’s every opinion. I’m trying… It’s a little different on the field, isn’t it? However, I respect all opinions off the field. “This is his opinion and frankly I have nothing to say about it,” Medvedev said.
Oleinikova’s words were also commented on by Arina Sabalenko and Diana Schneider, whom Oleinikova also mentioned in her interview.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
18 years old “neutral” Mirra Andreeva He sent fans away after the match at the Australian Open 2026.
On January 21, Andreeva defeated Maria Sakkari in the 1/32 final with scores of 6:0 and 6:4. After the end of the fight, Mirra said “Fuck you all” to applauding fans. Naturally, this was inaudible, but you can literally read this sentence on your lips.
On the 23rd, Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse will play against Andreeva. The meeting will start around 12:00 Kyiv time.
VIDEO. “To hell with you all” Andreeva told fans after her match at the Australian Open
Did he say what I thought he said???? 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/qH9hxmE0VX
— Lorena Popa 🕵️♀️🎾 (@popalorena) January 21, 2026
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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