Alcaraz cruises into Madrid Open last 16
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the last 16 of the Mutua Madrid Open with a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 victory over Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild in a match that lasted just 75 minutes on a chilly Sunday afternoon.
Wild never looked like beating the Spaniard and committed 23 unforced errors against a rival who has now won his last 23 matches in Spain on clay.
Alcaraz will now face Lennard Struff, whom he beat in the 2023 final in Madrid.
"I hope everything goes as well as last year, but I am going to have to work hard and give 100 percent. It will be an uncomfortable game to play, but the fans will enjoy it," said the Spaniard after his game.
Andrey Rublev won his third-round match 7-6 (12), 6-4 after a marathon first set against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokin, who looked comfortable on the beaten clay at Madrid's Caja Magica.
Elena Rybakina moved into the last 16 in the women's tournament with a routine 6-1, 6-4 victory over Mayar Sherif, with the number four seed quickly establishing her dominance in the opening set, where his patience to control the play on her second serve was a key factor.
Number 10 seed, Daria Kasatkina had to work hard to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (7) 7-5 in a close game where Kasatkina's serve was an important factor.
Yulia Putintseva also qualified for the last-16, with the Russian-born Kazak beating Carolina Dolehide 6-2, 6-2, as she took advantage of her powerful serve at Madrid's altitude.
18-year-old Sara Bejlek from the Czech Republic is the surprise package of the women's singles in Madrid, as the World ranked 133 performed brilliantly to defeat Ashlyn Kreuger of the USA, 6-3, 6-1.