Carlos Alcaraz sealed his place in the Madrid Masters semi-finals on Wednesday after a sensational second-set comeback against Karen Khachanov.
The world No 2 took the first set 6-4 but then found himself 5-2 down in the second before fighting back to win 7-5 at Manolo Santana Stadium.
It means Alcaraz, who thrashed Alexander Zverev in the previous round, keeps his title defence firmly on track as he reached his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season.
The 19-year-old top seed is now two wins away from claiming his fourth straight ATP Tour title on home soil and will play either Germany's Borna Coric or Daniel Altmaier of Croatia in the last four.
If Alcaraz retains his crown in the Spanish capital he will remain firmly on course to leapfrog Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings, which he will do simply by playing a match at the Rome Masters later this month.
“Winning this match will give me a lot of confidence, Karen was at a great level and took me to the limit,” said Alcaraz, who unleashed 31 winners against the 10th seed.
“It was decided by small details and I am very, very happy to be able to get through this round.”
The Russian, who knocked out countryman and fifth seed Andrey Rublev this week, showed no fear in the first set despite his opponent's form.
Eventually, Alcaraz found a decisive break to take a 4-3 lead with a strong forehand that Khachanov could not return successfully. The Spaniard consolidated and served it out.
In the second set, Khachanov broke for a 3-1 lead when Alcaraz went long after saving a first break point.
The world No 12 forced two more in the sixth game but could not convert either as Alcaraz fought hard to hold.
Alcaraz's perseverance paid off as he broke with a volley to get back on serve at 4-5.
The US Open champion consolidated his break and then earned another when Khachanov hit the net with an attempted forehand winner.
Aiming for his 10th tour level title the crowd-pleasing home favourite sealed his progress with a powerful forehand drive.
In the women's draw, third seed Jessica Pegula was knocked out 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 by Veronika Kudermetova as the Russian reached the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time.
The American was trying to reach her second consecutive final in Madrid, after losing to Ons Jabeur at the clay-court tournament last year.
“I feel so happy and proud of myself, because every match I played three sets,” said Kudermetova, who will face either world No 1 Iga Swiatek or Petra Martic in the last four. “Before this match, every match was almost three hours. Today, only two hours, I feel fresh.”
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
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Where to donate in the UAE
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The national orchestra
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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Tomorrow 2021
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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