Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev will battle in an anticipated match for a spot in the 2024 Madrid Open semi-final.
Alcaraz has played fairly well so far in Madrid, winning a few decent matches. His performance was not perfect, but he's doing enough to win matches against good opponents without reinjuring himself.
Playing is one part of his equation this week, but there is also the part of staying healthy. He missed two weeks of action because of an arm injury, and that's certainly not something to disregard.
He's been able to remain healthy, and his forehand looks better with every match, so things are trending well. Rublev has played a really solid event as well, and he needed it.
The past weeks have been rough for him, as he lost four consecutive matches, but he will be a huge underdog against Alcaraz for obvious reasons.
Head-to-head:
They only played once so far, which is interesting as both have been around for a while. It came at last year's ATP Finals, and Alcaraz won that match easily in two sets. We can't expect anything different on clay because the Spaniard is a better player on the red dirt.
He's also the better player overall, and the conditions at the Madrid Open certainly suit him. He'll have the crowd's backing, and he's looking better with every match, so we should expect a really solid outing from him here.
| Carlos Alcaraz | Andrey Rublev | |
| 1 | H2H | 0 |
| 3 | Rank | 8 |
| 20 | Age | 26 |
| 18-4 | 2024 W/L | 18-8 |
| 173-47 | Career W/L | 310-166 |
Prediction:
Rublev is a decent player, but I don't see him beating the home crowd hero in this match. The Russian hasn't played all that well lately to warrant any kind of trust in him against the two-time major winner.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in two sets.
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