Britain’s Katie Boulter and Jack Draper walked out of the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz made a victorious start to his season.
On her debut in the main draw in the Spanish capital, Boulter seemed comfortable at height and won the opening set comfortably.
But 19-year-old American Montgomery fought back to claim an impressive 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over the 26th seed and reach the third round of the Masters 1000 event.
Draper was knocked out after losing in straight sets Hubert Hurkacz.
The world number 9 reached the third round of the tournament with a 6-1, 7-5 win over the Brit.
Hurkacz sailed through the first set and led 5-0 before Draper came from behind to hit his third ace of the game in the seventh set to seal the set.
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Hurkacz continued his dominance against Draper with this brilliant half-volley!
Draper won the first game of the second set and Hurkacz equalized with a stylish drop shot at the net, but Draper began to take the lead.
However, Hurkacz leveled the score at 5-5 and turned the game in his favor by defeating Draper in the 11th game before securing his place in the next round by hitting a fantastic forehand down the right on match point.
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Watch highlights of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Shevchenko
Defending champion Alcaraz They also got off to a successful start with a 6:2 6:1 win against Alexander Shevchenko.
The Spaniard defeated Shevchenko seven times throughout the match, scoring a dominant victory that earned him a third-round clash with Thiago Seyboth Wild.
After his win, Alcaraz, who has now won 12 games in a row in Madrid, said on Sky Sports: “I think I did pretty well. Honestly, I’ve only practiced slices, volleys and backhands in the last month, so I think it worked pretty well today.
“That’s something I thought about with this game: I try to hit the forehand really softly, and I try to be aggressive with the backhand and hit the net as quickly as possible. I think I played a really good game in that part.”
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Alcaraz admits he still doesn’t feel comfortable playing his forehand despite a comprehensive win
Alcaraz missed the previous tournaments in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona due to injury and wore a compression sleeve on his right arm during the match.
When asked if his arm was still causing him problems, Alcaraz replied: “Not at all, but I’m thinking about it.”
“I think it’s something I won’t be able to get out of my head… at the beginning of this week I was doing good things in training and hitting harder, but I don’t feel comfortable playing my forehand at 100 percent.”
“But I think I really enjoy playing at this level. I think I can be competitive.”
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Highlights of the clash between defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Magda Linette
Andrey Rublev won his second round clash with a straight sets victory over Facundo Bagnis while also being the defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka also got off to a successful start after defeating Magda Linette 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round.
Number 4 in the world Elena Rybakinawho won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Sunday, also reached the third round with a 6:3 6:4 victory over Lucia Bronzetti.
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Linette slammed her racket on the ground after an unfortunate rebound off the net cord ensured her opponent Sabalenka won the game and then the match!
What can you expect from Sky Sports Tennis?
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Discover all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
Ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2024 – the French Open in Roland Garros from May 26th – you can watch all the big tennis stars in action Live on Sky Sports as they compete against each other throughout the clay court season.
- Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (ATP and WTA Masters 1000) – 7th – 19th May
- Geneva Open (ATP 250) – 20-26 May
- Lyon Open (ATP 250) – 20-26 May
- Strasbourg International (WTA 500 with Emma Raducanu in action) – 20-2. May
- Morocco Open (WTA 250) – 20-26 May
Here’s how to watch tennis matches on Sky Sports
The tennis stars will appear daily on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel
Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland with Sky Sports Tennis on Sky and NOW, bringing tennis content to fans all day, every day.
Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else and over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments per year on the ATP and WTA tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.
Non-Sky subscribers can stream live games with a NOW Sports Day and Month membership via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports ArenaAnd Sky Sports Mix Channels.
For further access, fans can also follow their favorite players and gain deeper insights into both tours via Sky sports newsThe Sky Sports App, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.
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