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Tennis icon Boris Becker recently took to social media to congratulate his compatriot, Jan-Lennard Struff, for his outstanding performance in the 2023 Madrid Open. While lauding the 33-year-old for defeating World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, Becker also hinted that there is still a long way to go for the German.
Struff pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season by beating World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournament on May 4.
The match, which lasted two hours and 31 minutes on the Manolo Santana Court, saw Struff hitting 47 winners and 12 unforced errors, compared to Tsitsipas' 35 winners and four unforced errors. The first-set tiebreak proved to be the difference, giving the 65th-ranked German the upper hand.
Former World No. 1 Becker was mighty impressed as he took to social media to congratulate Struff, calling him a "machine." The six-time Grand Slam champion also remarked that his countryman's work wasn't over in the tournament.
"You're a machine. Keep it up, far from over in Madrid," Becker wrote on his Instagram stories.
Apart from Tsitsipas, Struff defeated the likes of Lorenzo Sonego, Ben Shelton, Dusan Lajovic, and Pedro Cachin on his way to the semifinals. He has a 10-6 record so far this year.
This marks only the third time that a lucky loser has reached the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event, with Struff joining Thomas Johansson and Lucas Pouille in the elite club. Struff, who turned pro in 2009, is enjoying his best season yet, having recorded two top-five victories this year - Casper Ruud at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters and Tsitsipas at the Madrid Open.
Jan-Lennard Struff: It was a very, very hard battle
In an on-court interview after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3, Jan-Lennard Struff expressed his satisfaction at playing at a high level to down a top player.
"It feels amazing. It was a very, very hard battle," Jan-Lennard Struff said. "I knew before I needed to perform at my best. Very happy that I played this well today. The crowd was amazing. It was an unbelievable atmosphere and really, really happy that I won."
Struff will face Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals today, May 5. Karatsev beat the 33-year-old German 6-4, 6-2 in the qualifying round in Madrid. The 121st-ranked Russian also defeated Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.
