Carlos Alcaraz secured his place in the third round of the Madrid Open after rallying from a set down against Emil Ruusuvuori.
Alcaraz, who lifted the trophy in Madrid last year, recovered from a rocky opening set for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over his 24-year-old opponent after two hours and 16 minutes to set up a meeting with Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.
The win means Alcaraz has levelled the Head2Head out at 1-1 after Ruusuvuori won their first clash at the Miami Open last year.
‘’It was really tough, I would say I was about to lose," Alcaraz said after the match.
"It was just one point. One of the break points he had at 2-3 in the second set was like a match point for him.
‘’I was really happy I was able to save that game and come back a bit. It was really tough. Emil played unbelievably, but I am really, really happy to get through that.’’
The Spaniard’s game improved significantly in the second set as he reduced the number of enforced errors and saved all five of the break points he faced to level the match.
‘’When I got it to 3-3 in the second set, I thought that this is my chance," he added.
"I tried to take that. I was really, really focused. I was trying to put every ball in and running for every ball. Playing with a good attitude the whole match, I was able to come back.
‘’It was tough for me to get used to the conditions. There is so much altitude here, the ball bounces a lot.
‘’I am not going to use excuses. Emil was better than me until 3-3 in the second set. Hitting the ball with no mistakes, serving well with a lot of rhythm and I could not follow his rhythm.
‘’It was tough for me to stay with him. But I am happy to come back and finish with a lot of confidence.’’
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