Jan-Lennard Struff makes history as first lucky loser to reach ATP Masters 1000 final

Jan-Lennard Struff created history on Friday when he became the first lucky loser to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final. He defeated qualifier Aslan Karatsev 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Mutua Madrid Open to move within one win of his first title.

A series of stunning wins

Last week, Karatsev defeated Struff in the final round of qualifying to advance to the main draw. But in the players’ first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, Struff gained revenge in front of a packed Manolo Santana Stadium.

After struggling to deal with Karatsev’s pace in the first set, the German readjusted and produced a clean-hitting and aggressive display in the second and third sets. He broke the qualifier’s serve three times and struck 37 winners to blast a tiring Karatsev off court.

“It is amazing,” Struff said. “I didn’t think about this. I played one final before in Munich [2021] but there was no crowd because of Covid. Now I am here and [there is] an amazing crowd. I think on Sunday it will also be a very good crowd. I am very happy to reach a final and very happy with the win.”

Up against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz

Struff will play defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday. Alcaraz is undefeated on Spanish clay courts, and Struff knows it’s going to be a very tough match. He said, “I have to go for it otherwise I will have no chance. I will try my best to beat him and win my first title.”

Struff is aiming to become the second lucky loser to win an ATP Tour title this season after Soonwoo Kwon triumphed in Adelaide in January.

The German upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals and is the third lucky loser to reach the semi-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event, joining Thomas Johansson in Toronto in 2004 and Lucas Pouille in Rome in 2016.

Karatsev’s remarkable run ends

Karatsev was chasing his fourth tour-level trophy this weekend. Having dropped as low as No. 129 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on 17 April, he found his best form in Madrid. He defeated seeded players Botic van de Zandschulp, Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev to become the second qualifier to reach the semi-finals in tournament history. He leaves the clay-court event at No. 51 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

After Struff raced into a 3-1 lead in the first set, he struggled to control his groundstrokes from the baseline in the fast conditions. However, he earned an early break in the second set and upped his intensity. Struff’s ‘big-man tennis’ started to cause problems for Karatsev, with the German winning 94% (15/16) of his first-serve points to force a decider.