Andrey Rublev, the first two-time UTS champion in history, is angling to become a two-time Masters 1000 champion this weekend in the Spanish capital.

The 8th-ranked Russian reached the semi-finals at the Caja Magica in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, taking out two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last four in Madrid for the first time.

When Rublev is in UTS mode, not even world-beating Alcaraz can hang with him. The 20-year-old Spaniard did his best to keep Rublev at bay, but the 26-year-old turned up the heat with his serve and baseline game to earn his eighth career top-3 win.

“The serve saved me a lot of times today, but I think the key is that it was one of the first matches that I was completely calm,” Rublev said. “All the match I didn’t say one word, even if I was losing, and I think that was the key, that allowed me to serve even better with time.”

After falling behind by a set, Rublev was magnificent in the second and third sets as he used his serve and forehand to keep Alcaraz on the back foot.

Rublev struck a total of 30 winners against 21 unforced errors, while Alcaraz managed 19 winners against 25 unforced.

He will face either Taylor Fritz or Francisco Cerundolo in the semi-finals on Friday at Madrid.

Rublev, who has won UTS titles in Frankfurt (2023) and Oslo (2024) has already punched his ticket to the 2024 UTS Grand Final later this year. The UTS Grand Final will be the fourth event this year, with two other editions due to happen in New York in August and in Frankfurt in October.