Madrid Open 2024 Day 5 Recap

The 2024 Mutua Madrid Open’s round of 32 concluded on Sunday, with Carlos Alcaraz making serene progress as he bids for a third consecutive title at the Caja Magica.

Still playing with his compression sleeve, Alcraz was too much to handle for Seyboth Wild, using his forehand and variety to dominate.

Holger Rune was the big name to crash out, coming unstuck at the hands of Tallon Griekspoor, who served impeccably to get the job done in three sets.

Jan-Lennard Struff also continued his fine form, taking out 13th seed Ugo Humbert with another hard-hitting display. He’s playing with a double dose of confidence, having won Munich last week and making the final in Madrid last year as a lucky loser.

You can see the full results from day five below.

Day Five 2024 Madrid Open Round of 32 Results

Griekspoor Rolls Past Rune

Tallon Griekspoor achieved his first Top 20 victory on clay by defeating eleventh seed Holger Rune 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Sunday.

The Dutch player has one of the best serves on tour, and he backed that up with powerful strokes from both wings. 

Griekspoor fired 25 winners and excelled at the net, winning 69 per cent (22/32) of the points on net approaches, wrapping up the match in two hours and 14 minutes.

On the other hand, Rune isn’t a strong performer in Madrid, and his on-court rants of late have been to play the blame game from his coaching team to the tournament stringers working against him.

I served unbelievably well throughout the match. Despite missing break opportunities in the second set, I broke early in the third and continued to serve well. I’m pleased with today’s performance. Griekspoor on his win.

Alcaraz Cruises Into Fourth Round

Carlos Alcaraz’s bid for a third consecutive Mutua Madrid Open title took another step forward on Sunday as he defeated Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-3, 6-3,

Following his victory over Alexander Shevchenko, Alcaraz showcased a commanding performance against Seyboth Wild. He secured a crucial break in the sixth game of the opening set and further asserted his dominance with an early break in the second set, which he turned into a 5-0 lead. Seyboth Wild made a small comeback, winning three games on the spin, but Alcaraz wasn’t to be deterred.

Alcaraz appeared fine despite his right arm injury, which he says prevents him from going 100% on the forehand. He could still quickly force Seyboth Wild deep behind the baseline, and he fired 20 winners to 18 unforced errors.

Alcaraz’s next opponent will be Jan-Lennard Struff, whom he defeated in last year’s Madrid final.

I think I played at a really good level. Coming into this match I was nervous a bit because I didn’t know how my forearm would be. Thiago has big shots. He is really strong. I am really happy with the performance. It was difficult at the end, at 5-0 and then serving at 5-3. I am really happy to get it at the end. Alcaraz on his win.

Other Matches of Note

Struff Fires Past Humbert: Some huge forehands from the German who likes the Madrid conditions as he dispatched 13th seed Ugo Humbert 7-5, 6-4.

Rublev Rallies Past Davidovich-Fokina: Rublev returned to more winning ways with a 7-6(10), 6-4 victory over Davidovich Fokina. The Russian saved five set points before capitalising on his second opportunity to win the set. The 26-year-old broke Davidovich Fokina’s serve twice in the second set, extending his record to 4-0 in their head-to-head series, which has produced some fun matches.

Hurkacz Aces Altmaier: The Estoril Champion has the game style to flourish in Madrid, and he fired down 28 winners in a 6-4, 7-6(2) win over Daniel Altmaier.

Fritz Breaks Down Baez: Taylor Fritz maintained his perfect record in his head-to-head against Sebastian Baez with a decisive 6-2, 6-3 victory. This win marks Fritz’s fifth straight-set victory over the Argentine, who cannot seem to find any success on return and struggles to create any inroads.

Madrid Open 2024 Day 6 Round of 32 Matches

Who has impressed you so far in Madrid? Let me know in the comments.