"I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries," wrote George Orwell. "How easy it is to make friends in Spain!" This renowned Spanish hospitality was on full display in Madrid this week. The first of three editions of the Spanish Masters 2020 was held October 13-15 at the RIU Plaza España hotel, and elite players came from far and wide to justify the masterly billing. In the men's singles, Belgium's Cedric Nuytinck was the top seed with a #71 world ranking. In the final, he faced France's Enzo Angles, the underdog at world #196. Anlges, however, proved that ranking, like age, is just a number. The only number that counts in proceedings of this nature is four, denoting the games required to advance in a best-of-seven match. Whether he was better prepared or simply more motivated, Angles claimed the title over Nuytinck in four straight games, the minimum required for maximum results. In the women's singles final, Brazil's Bruna Takahashi (pictured, right) held off a furious comeback attempt by Charlotte Carey of Wales (pictured, left). Takahashi, ranked 47th in the world, led 3-0 and appeared ready to cruise to an uncontested decision over the unranked Carey. Then, just like the Houston Astros trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by the same margin in the ALCS, the Welshwoman stormed back to win three straight, forcing a winner-take-all game 7. Unfortunately for Carey, the analogy held true as Takahashi, like the Rays, held on to claim the decider. Takahashi averted disaster with an 11-7 decision in the final game. Interestingly, both the men's and women's events saw two Spanish players stumble in the semifinals. While the limited number of fans allowed in the premises may have hoped for all-Spanish finals, Endika Diez and Miguel Ángel Vilchez failed to reach the men's final, while Sofía-Xuan Zhang and Galia Dvorak likewise fell one step short of the women's. Despite the domestic frustration, the return of international competition was surely a welcome sight for all involved. Two more editions of the Spanish Masters 2020 are set for November 24-26 and December 8-10. Next time, however, the Spanish players may not be so accomodating.

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