It’s time for the clash of the top two Spanish players! Carlos Alcaraz is all set to face his compatriot Pedro Martinez in the QF of the 2025 ABN AMRO Open. After missing out on the chance of clinching his first AO title a few weeks ago, Carlos Alcaraz is now keen to win his first trophy of the season. Shortly after winning the R16 match in Rotterdam, the Spaniard said, “Getting the win is really important, but I’m here to entertain the people, make them happy, and enjoy watching my matches.” Can he make his fans happy by securing his spot in the semis with a win against Martinez?

Carlos Alcaraz vs Pedro Martinez: Preview

Carlos Alcaraz had a wonderful season in 2024. He clinched his first title at the Indian Wells Masters and then went on to win the French Open by beating Alexander Zverev in the final by a five-set thriller. It was followed by yet another big title, and this time it was at the Wimbledon Championships! After that, his next title triumph came at the China Open where he defeated the current world number one, Jannik Sinner by 6(6)-7,6-4,7-6(3).

Carlos Alcaraz started his 2025 season at the AO, but he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the QF. Alcaraz had already clinched two wins in Rotterdam and he’ll be entering this match following his two-set win over Italy’s Andrea Vavassori in the R16.

On the other hand, Pedro Martinez also looked quite impressive in some of the tournaments last year, especially in the Challenger events. He reached the final in Tenerife, Bordeaux, and won titles in Girona and Valencia. Apart from the Challenger events, Pedro Martinez reached the SF of the Chile Open and the final of the Estoril Open, where he was defeated by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz by 3-6,4-6.

Martinez also made it to the semis at the German Open last year. This year, he reached the R16 of the Hong Kong Open but made early exits from the ASB Classic and the AO. However, Pedro Martinez stunned the tennis world with his impressive 6-4,6-1 win over Holger Rune in the previous round. Can he pull yet another upset in this tournament?

Alcaraz vs Martinez: Head-to-Head

Carlos Alcaraz and Pedro Martinez have met each other three times before in their careers. Currently, Alcaraz has a clear-cut 3-0 edge over Martinez in the H2H record.

• 2020 Alicante Final: Alcaraz 7-6(6),6-3.
• 2019 Seville R16: Alcaraz 5-7,6-4,6-3.
• 2019 Murcia R32: Alcaraz 6-3,7-6(4).

Prediction: Alcaraz to win in straight sets

No doubt Pedro Martinez is a solid player and he can upset any big names on his day. However, considering Carlos Alcaraz’s record of stepping in when it matters the most, we feel the one from Murcia will get the edge over the one from Alzira! Alcaraz is hungry and he wants to grab his first title of the 2025 season. He won two Grand Slam titles last season and considering his performance in the last few months it’s very difficult to label the four-time Grand Slam champion as the second-best against some like Pedro Martinez.

Talking about the numbers, Carlos Alcaraz (3) had a win-loss record of 49-12 last season, whereas his compatriot, Pedro Martinez (44) had a win-loss record of just 19-23. Considering all these factors along with Alcaraz’s dominance in the H2H state, we feel he may secure yet another dominating win in Rotterdam.

Shifting our focus to their playing styles, Pedro Martinez is a right-handed player who has a very strong two-handed backhand. He also has a decent drop shot in his armory which is more than capable of putting his opponents a bit off-guarded during the matches. However, his biggest weakness is his serve. Martinez often tends to commit quite a few double faults in his matches. He hit 93 aces last season, but committed almost 160 double faults! So, keeping things tidy is going to be extremely crucial for Martinez in this match as well.

On the other side, Carlos Alcaraz is often seen trying to hit a lot of winners with the help of his strong and precise forehand shots. Apart from that, even his backhand shots are more than capable of causing a few troubles for his opponents. Even Carlos Alcaraz loves disguising his opponents with his incredible drop shots. We often see him trying to push his opponents further back on the court into a defensive position before coming up with his picture-perfect drop shots. So, it seems drop shots are going to play a crucial role in this match between the two Spaniards.

Carlos Alcaraz’s court coverage is also truly exceptional! Keeping all these things in mind, Alcaraz will end this match in flying colors!