Tennis

What and who is a lucky loser in Tennis? Have they won a Major or Masters?

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Here’s everything you need to know about the concept of ‘Lucky Loser’ in Tennis

The concept of ‘Lucky Loser’ has been a burning topic ever since Jan-Lennard Struff made it to the finals of the Madrid Masters 1000 tournament. Initially, Germany’s Struff didn’t even make it to the main draw of the competition after losing in the second round of qualifying to Aslan Karatsev.

However, he is now in the final of the tournament and is scheduled to take on Carlos Alcaraz in the summit clash after qualifying as the ‘Lucky Loser’ – so here’s everything you need to know about it.

Jan-Lennard Struff

A ‘lucky loser’ is a player who lost in the qualifying rounds of a particular tournament but got into the main draw following a player’s withdrawal for illness, injury or whatever reason it may be. However, the process is not as easy as it looks because there are multiple losers in the qualifiers and choosing the ‘Lucky Loser’ is a bit of a complicated task. The timing of the concerned player’s withdrawal decides which qualifying losers get the chance to gain entry to the main draw as a lucky loser.

However, if the withdrawal occurs after the qualifying rounds are complete, then the highest-ranked player who lost in the final round of qualifying gets entry into the main draw as a lucky loser. Similarly, if the withdrawal occurs before the qualifying rounds are complete, then the two highest-ranked losers in the final round of qualifiers are put into a random draw for the main-draw spot.

Has any ‘Lucky Loser’ won a Major or Masters title before?

There have been instances of lucky losers winning ATP and WTA tournaments in the past. Most tennis fans would remember that Andrey Rublev achieved that feat relatively recently in 2017 at Umag. Italy’s Marco Cecchinato did the same at the Hungarian Open in 2018 while Kwon Soon-Woo achieved this unique feat earlier this year at Adelaide International 2 – a tournament which is treated as a warm-up event leading to the Australian Open. However, there has been no such instance of a Lucky Loser winning a Major or Masters title in the history of Tennis.

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Jan-Lennard Struff

Jan-Lennard Struff will attempt to become the first lucky loser to win an ATP Masters 1000 title when he faces top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the Madrid Open final later today. He has been on a fairy-tale run after he made it to the main draw of the tournament as a lucky loser.

Struff beat Lorenzo Sonego in his first match of the main draw and followed it up with a commendable victory against No.32 seed Ben Shelton. He then got the better of Pedro Cachin before pulling off a major upset against 4th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals. He came back from a set down to win his semi-final clash against Aslan Karatsev and set up a final clash against the top seed Carlos Alcaraz.

Struff has been in really good touch, and it remains to be seen if he can script history tonight.

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Sarbik Dutta

My heart races on the F1 track and tennis courts, translating the adrenaline of each moment into words. While F1's speed thrills and tennis's finesse captivate me, my passion doesn't stop there. As a devoted follower of cricket, football, and various Olympic sports, I find myself engulfed in the highs and lows of these games. Through my writing, I aim to share the stories behind the stats, the emotions fueling the victories, and the struggles that define the journey of athletes across diverse disciplines. Being a voice that echoes the fervor of these sports is a privilege I cherish every day.

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