Carloz Alcaraz ruthlessly disposed of Alexander Zverev in straight sets to seal his place in the Madrid Masters quarter-finals on Tuesday.
A year on from their 2022 final clash, which the Spaniard won in equally convincing fashion, Alcaraz secured a 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 83 minutes at the Manolo Santana Stadium.
The German had won their previous meeting at the French Open quarter-finals but was brushed aside here as Alcaraz barely put a foot wrong throughout the one-sided clash.
“For me it’s amazing to play the level that I played today,” said Alcaraz, who secured his 18th straight ATP Tour victory on Spanish soil. “I played at a great level, I didn't let him dominate, I went on the attack the whole time, and above all, I returned really well.
“I played a complete game, and that's how we have this result – but it's not a normal result against [Zverev].
“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.”
Zverev zipped past Hugo Grenier 6-1, 6-0 in the third round, appearing to find form after the ankle injury he suffered last year, but was exposed by a razor-sharp Alcaraz.
The US Open champion dropped just two points in the first set in his near-immaculate service games, and put strong pressure on the German's serve.
Alcaraz converted his third break point to take a 2-0 lead in the 11-minute second game, before wresting another from Zverev for 5-1, consolidating to take the set.
The duo traded blows on serve at the start of the second set before Alcaraz carved out a break for 3-2 when Zverev sent a forehand return wide.
The teenager again broke for a 5-2 lead with a neat forehand down the line and triumphed on serve when Zverev batted a return long.
Alcaraz, who turns 20 on Friday, is aiming for his 10th tour-level title after defending the Barcelona Open in April. He has also been crowned champion in both Buenos Aires and Indian Wells this year.
Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev – the second and fifth-seeded Russians – were both knocked out by countrymen yesterday.
Medvedev fell 7-6, 6-4 to Aslan Karatsev while Rublev lost by the same scoreline to good friend and doubles partner Karen Khachanov, who now has the unenviable task of attempting to stop the Alcaraz juggernaught.
