Here’s what happened on the day-4 at the Mutua Madrid Open 2022. The scoring shouldn’t be misleading. For Carlos Alcaraz, the one with Nikoloz Basilashvili turns out to be a decidedly complicated challenge. The Spanish phenomenon, who struggles to find support at the start, actually slips a 5-0 break into a rather uncomfortable scoring situation in the first set and remedies a rather complicated disadvantage also in the second.
Yes, he avoids the jeu decisif, but closes only at 6-3 7-5 in the final part of a very long day in the Caja Magica. Waiting for him will be the winner of the match between Cameron Norrie and John Isner. Nothing that is entirely theoretical should deny access to the quarter-finals.
Denis Shapovalov does everything to give Madrid an eighth of luxury with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. The Canadian, who plays an absolutely meaningless game, has time to move the zero from the box in the games of the first set, to regroup the score in the second and to reconcile all the difficulties in the final.
Emblematic, however, is the 6-1 2-6 6-2 final which guarantees Andy after the victory against a bruised Dominic Thiem – who has yet to win a match in the major circuit since he returned – the act number thirty-seven of the saga with the very Serbian champion, who appeared in decidedly good conditions after the hesitant interlude in Belgrade seasoned by the defeat in the final against Andrey Rublev.
Lorenzo Musetti’s next opponent also comes out of the blocks. All relatively easy for Sebastian Korda in the derby with Reilly Opelka. Having broken the balance at the foot of the tie break in the first set, the US talent seals the success at 7-5 6-3.