MADRID -- Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Madrid Open title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff on Sunday, moving closer to recovering his world No. 1 ranking.
Alcaraz, 20, of Spain, will be back at the top of the rankings going into the French Open if he plays at least one match at the upcoming Italian Open.
He converted on his first match point after a hard-fought battle against Struff to secure his fourth title of the year and 10th of his impressive young career. He had also successfully defended his title in Barcelona two weeks ago.