Madrid: Andrey Rublev dismisses Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime takes advantage of a new injury to reach a first final
After the defeats of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal on Thursday, it was understood that the Masters 1000 in Madrid would crown a new king. There were four who could claim it: Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Jiri Lehecka. If the opposition between the first two offered a real standoff, Friday May 3, the second quickly turned in favor of the Canadian against the Czech, injured in the first set and forced to abandon.
At the semi-final stage, he was the highest ranked among the four entrants (8th in the world), and Andrey Rublev upheld his rank. The Russian won in straight sets against Taylor Fritz, seeded n°12 in the tournament (6-4, 6-3). Fighting for half of each round with the American, Rublev was able to tighten the game at the end of the set to offer himself a logical victory, and reach a fourth Masters 1000 final after Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati in 2021, then Monte-Carlo and Shanghai in 2023.
The Russian therefore did not suffer the physical repercussions of his victory against Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday, where he lost the first set before winning in control. He who had never before passed the 3rd round in Masters 1000 this year (3rd round in Indian Wells, 2nd round in Miami and Monte-Carlo) advances as the favorite for a second Masters 1000 coronation in his career, after Monte -Carlo last year.
The Masters 1000 in Madrid has all the makings of an improbable tournament for Félix Auger-Aliassime (35th). The Canadian beat Adrian Mannarino (20th) and Casper Ruud (6th), but he found himself in the final to everyone’s surprise, since he took advantage of the abandonment of Jakub Mensik in the 3rd round, then the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner in the quarter-final, and finally the injury to Jiri Lehecka on Friday in the semi-final.
The Czech, 31st in the world and Rafael Nadal’s final opponent in Madrid, had achieved his best career tournament with a first semi-final in the Masters 1000. But his body gave up on Friday, at 3-3 in the first set. Prostrate on the court, visibly in muscular discomfort, Lehecka took a walk through the locker room before returning to play two points (3-3, ab.).
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