Third seed Carlos Alcaraz overcame a nervy start to beat Briton Jack Draper 6-4 6-4 on Wednesday and reach the Italian Open semi-finals for the first time. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who is gearing up to defend the French Open title later this month, fired off 24 winners in a strong performance to seal victory.
“The most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the results at all. Not thinking about if I was up, if I was down. Just trying to do the things that make me happy,” Alcaraz said after the match. “On court, just trying to play aggressive, hitting good shots, drop shots, go to the net… I played with such a high rhythm during the whole match. I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. So I think that was a really good weapon today for me. I’m just really proud about the way that I approached the match.”
With that win, Alcaraz moved through to his 11th Masters 1000 semi-final. Earlier on Wednesday, Norwegian Casper Ruud beat Jaume Munar 6-3 6-4 to set up a quarter-final meeting with world number one Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz is hitting right clay strides
Alcaraz failed to take advantage of World No.1 Jannik Sinner’s three-month suspension for doping, but in beating fifth-ranked Jack Draper in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open, the Spaniard has shown that he is very much likely to be a threat at Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion. Though he was not fully dominant in the match, and the 6-4, 6-4 scoreline signifies two tight sets, the 22-year-old Spaniard’s mental tenacity came to the fore at key moments. The win is also significant as Draper had beaten Alcaraz at Indian Wells earlier this year. Sinner’s best results have come on hard courts and World No. 2 Alexander Zverev has struggled to break his Grand Slam duck. With Novak Djokovic also struggling for form after three straight tour-level defeats, a confident Alcaraz would be a good bet to add to his four Major titles in the French capital. Winning Monte Carlo and reaching the final in Barcelona proves his game is in order. If he can get through the early rounds unscathed, Alcaraz will be the favourite in Paris.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
