He came down from one set to defeat 121st-ranked Karatsev 4-6 6-3 6-4 to become the first “lucky loser” to make it to the Masters final.
Struff, whose only other final appearance in Munich in 2021 led to a second place, took the win with a fifth match point.
He fired 37 winners, including 15 aces, in his 2 hour 19 minute win.
“It’s amazing,” said Struff. “I’ve played a final in Munich before, but there was no audience there because of Covid.”
Struff and Alcaraz have met twice before – the German winning in straight sets at the French Open in 2021 before the flamboyant Spaniard won a five-setter at Wimbledon last year.
– “I have to do it” –
“We played a fantastic match at Wimbledon and I was close to beating him, but he made incredible shots,” said Struff.
“It’s going to be different. It’s in Spain, in Madrid. I think he’s 20-0 on Spanish clay, so it’s going to be very tough. I have to try or I don’t have a chance.” “
Struff, who upset fifth-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, became the third lucky loser to reach the semifinals at a Masters 1000 event, joining Thomas Johansson in Toronto in 2004 and Lucas Pouille in Rome in 2016.
On Saturday, the Madrid women’s final will take place between world number one Iga Swiatek and number two, Aryna Sabalenka.
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