Jan-Lennard Struff vs Carlos Alcaraz Prediction & Picks - ATP Mutua Madrid Open

On paper, this is a match that Carlos Alcaraz is expected to win, let's be honest. He's 21 places better off than Struff in the ATP rankings, but the German can be a beast on clay, there's no denying that. When he's in-form, he;s one of the most deadly clay-court players. He showed us that when reaching the final of this tournament last year, losing two sets to one against Alcaraz, while he really has been in scintilating form recently, winning the event in Munich last week. He looked a man on a mission when beating the higher-ranked Humbert last time out, so we shouldn't be surprised if he does well in this match. Of course, facing Alcaraz is tough, but there have been questions over the Spaniard's fitness of late, following the injury concerns that recently prevented him, by his own admission, from touching a racket for a week. Factor in that Jan-Lennard Struff has a good record of always winning a minimum of one set against Alcaraz and last year's Madrid finalist is worth betting on to compete by, at the very least, avoiding a straight-set defeat. Our Prediction: Jan-Lennard Struff +1.5 Set Handicap.