Recapping what happened to Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner as Madrid Open 2024 sees 4 surprise semi-finalists

By Naman Trivedi

Modified May 03, 2024 09:20 GMT

The men's singles section of the 2024 Madrid Open has seen the top three seeds, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev, suffer physical discomforts during their campaigns.

The trio were pre-tournament favorites and navigated their way to the quarterfinals. Top seed Sinner looked good during his initial wins in Madrid and was pushed to three sets against Karen Khachanov in the fourth round. The Italian was set to face a resurgent Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.

However, before the contest, Sinner announced on social media that he had decided to withdraw from the tournament due to a hip injury. The reigning Australian Open champion notably showed signs of injury struggle during his third-round match but continued to play. He also won his fourth-round match but chose not to push himself any further.

Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion at his home tournament, faced a similar situation. He dropped one set to reach the quarterfinals and faced No. 7 seed Andrey Rublev, who ended his title defense with a three-set win.

After his match, Alcaraz revealed that he played at the 2024 Madrid Open with a forearm injury that had previously kept him out of the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open. The 20-year-old was unsure whether he would even play in Madrid before his campaign began.

Lastly, Daniil Medvedev, took the court for his quarterfinal match against Jiri Lehecka. The Russian was at his best while ousting Alexander Bublik in straight sets in the fourth round. However, during his quarterfinal match, he received off-court medical attention to tend to discomfort in his upper right leg.

The 28-year-old returned to the court to resume the match but took another medical time-out. After Lehecka won the first set, he decided to retire from the match out of fear of exacerbating an injury to the groin.

These injuries to Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev have paved the way for four unexpected players to reach the semifinals of the Masters 1000 tournament. All four have either not had much success on clay courts or have not been in good form recently, but now have a shot to win the title.

Andrey Rublev to face Taylor Fritz, Jiri Lehecka up against Felix Auger-Aliassime in Madrid Open SFs

Seventh seed Andrey Rublev had not won a match since the Indian Wells Masters but seems to have found his mojo at the Madrid Open. He registered impressive wins over Tallon Griekspoor and two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to enter his fourth Masters 1000 semifinal, where he will face Taylor Fritz.

Fritz, the 12th seed, became the first American man to reach the Madrid Open semifinals since the tournament switched to clay courts in 2012. The 26-year-old defeated the likes of Sebastian Baez, Hubert Hurkacz, and Francisco Cerundolo to reach the last four. Fritz will vie for his second consecutive clay court final after finishing as the runner-up in Munich.

In the other Madrid Open semifinal, Jiri Lehecka will be against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Lehecka reached his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal after beating Rafael Nadal in the fourth round and benefitting from the withdrawal of Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.

His opponent, Felix Auger-Aliassime, has displayed what he is capable of during his campaign in Madrid. He defeated reigning Barcelona Open champion Casper Ruud in straight sets in the fourth round. The Canadian's run has been aided by a walkover by his third-round opponent Jakub Mensik and a withdrawal from Jannik Sinner in their quarterfinal match.