Mutua Madrid Open: Katie Boulter and Jack Draper beaten as Carlos Alcaraz makes winning start | Tennis News
Brits Katie Boulter and Jack Draper exited the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday as defending champion Carlos Alcaraz made a winning start to his campaign.
On her main draw debut in the Spanish capital, Boulter looked comfortable playing in the altitude and took the opening set in comfortable fashion.
But 19-year-old American Montgomery battled back to clinch a stunning 1-6 6-3 6-4 against the 26th seed and reach the third round of the Masters 1000 event.
Montgomery, a former US Open junior girls’ singles and doubles champion, levelled in game two of the opening set, but Boulter soon pulled ahead and broke in the sixth game before a strong forehand sealed the set.
The teenager started the second set well and fashioned four break points, but Boulter defended all of them to lead. However, Montgomery responded by going 4-3 up and a brilliant turnaround saw her serve out the set to draw level.
She then dominated in the third set but struggled to see out victory as Boulter saved four match points in a back-and-forth tussle at deuce in the eighth game before Montgomery eventually served for the match two games later.
‘Boulter will be gutted’
Boulter will be ‘gutted’ with her defeat, says Anne Keothavong
“A real shame for Katie Boulter and she’ll be gutted about that, especially after she got off to such a strong start,” said British Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong on Sky Sports Tennis.
“She really looked in control of this match but there was a real turning point midway through that second set and she allowed Robin Montgomery back into it and Montgomery didn’t look back.
“She played some inspired tennis. She’s ranked 183 in the world and she’s only 19. This is a young woman who has the ability to really shoot up the rankings. She’s got game and determination.”
Tale of the Tape
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Watch highlights of the Madrid Open match between Hubert Hurkacz and Jack Draper
Draper was knocked out after losing in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz.
The world No 9 reached the third round of the tournament with a 6-1 7-5 victory over the Briton.
Hurkacz cruised through the opening set, leading 5-0 before Draper pulled one back and hit his third ace of the match in the seventh on his way to sealing the set.
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Hurkacz continued his domination of Draper with this brilliant half-volley!
Draper took the first game of the second set and Hurkacz levelled with a stylish drop shot at the net, but Draper began to edge ahead.
However, Hurkacz levelled at 5-5 and turned the match back in his favour, breaking Draper in the 11th game before securing his spot in the next round with a fantastic forehand slammed down the right on match point.
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Watch highlights of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Shevchenko
Defending champion Alcaraz also got off to a winning start with a 6-2 6-1 win against Alexander Shevchenko.
The Spaniard broke Shevchenko seven times throughout the match in a dominant victory which saw him set up a third-round meeting with Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Speaking on Sky Sports after his victory, Alcaraz – who has now won 12 consecutive matches in Madrid – said: “I think I did pretty well, honestly the last month I just practiced slices, volleys and backhands, so I think it worked pretty well today.
“That’s something I was thinking about approaching this match, trying to hit the forehand really softer and I’m trying to be aggressive with the backhand, trying to crash the net as soon as possible. I think I did a really good match in that part.”
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Alcaraz admits he’s still not comfortable playing his forehand despite a comprehensive win
Alcaraz missed the previous Monte-Carlo and Barcelona tournaments due to injury and was wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm during the game.
When asked if his arm was still troubling him, Alcaraz replied: “Not at all, but I’m thinking about it.
“It’s not going to leave my mind I think… coming into this week, I’ve been doing good things in practice, hitting harder, but I’m not feeling comfortable playing my forehand 100 per cent.
“But I think playing at this level, I’m really happy to do it. I think I can be competitive.”
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Highlights of defending champion Aryna Sabalenka’s clash with Magda Linette
Andrey Rublev won his round two clash with a straight-sets victory against Facundo Bagnis, while defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka also got off to a winning start after beating Magda Linette 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the second round.
World No 4 Elena Rybakina, who won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Sunday, also reached the third round with a 6-3 6-4 win over Lucia Bronzetti.
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Linette hammered her racket on the dirt after an unfortunate bounce off the net cord saw her opponent Sabalenka win the game and then the match!
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?
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Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
In the run-up to the second Grand Slam of 2024 – the French Open at Roland Garros from May 26 – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the clay-court season.
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- Geneva Open (ATP 250) – May 20-26
- Lyon Open (ATP 250) – May 20-26
- Internationaux de Strasbourg (WTA 500 with Emma Raducanu in action) – May 20-26
- Morocco Open (WTA 250) – May 20-26
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