Carlos Alcaraz reached the Italian Open semi-finals by beating Jack Draper 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday.
Alkaraz saved six of the eight breakpoints he faced.
Alcaraz, the third ranked, who withdrew from the Madrid tournament due to an upper-right foot problem that bothered him during the Barcelona Open Finals, moved well on the court, often going to the net, using his trademark drop shots and ground strokes.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, who also injured his left leg, lost to Draper at a recent semi-final meeting in March in Indian Wells, California.
Alcaraz came together to win the first set from 2-4. The turning point then came to the eighth game of the second set when it seemed like the drape could force the decider. That game lasted almost ten minutes, with Alcaraz saving two breakpoints before coming to the top. Alcaraz broke love in the next game and sealed the match.
“The most important thing I did today was that I had no idea about the shots,” Alcaraz said. “I’m just trying to do something that makes me happy without thinking about the fact that I’m falling down. On the court, I’ve been aggressive, I’ve been trying to get good shots, I’ve been drop shots and I’ve been trying to go to the net. That’s what I want to do on the court.
Aracaraz’s next opponent is Italian Lorenzo Musetti, defeating defending champions Alexander Zverev 7-6 (1), 6-4.
Cheers at the roaring crowd of the house, Musetti made Zverev suffocate from the bass line.
“It’s been a huge advantage this week, support from the crowd,” Musetti said in an on-court interview. “It was part of the strategy to make things complicated for Sasha. He’s a very good batsman, but he’s a bit late in the baseline.”
Casperudo defeated Jammunar 6-3, 6-4 to host a quarter-final meeting with world No. 1 Janik Sinner.
Rome is the last big warm-up before the French opening begins on May 25th.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to the report.
