No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz set up a quarterfinal meeting with No. 5 seed Jack Draper by surviving a three-set battle against Karen Khachanov on Tuesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
The Spanish star prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a nearly 2 1/2-hour match against Khachanov, the 23rd seed from Russia. Alcaraz squandered a 4-1 lead in the second set before pulling away and winning on his second match point.
This is Alcaraz’s first tournament back after missing the Madrid Open with an adductor injury.
“It feels amazing to get the win at the end against a really big and really tough guy like Khachanov,” Alcaraz said. “Physically I struggled a bit. Not any pain on any part of the body, but I was just tired. The match was really tough. I had to run a lot, so I’m just really proud of the way I fought for every ball.”
Alcaraz wasn’t the only player who needed three sets to win Tuesday. He followed Draper, who rallied past unseeded Frenchman Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
“The way he’s playing is really high,” Alcaraz said of Draper, who won one ATP 1000 final at Indian Wells and lost another at Madrid. “I’ve been watching his matches. The way he plays is huge, and I have to be ready for that. I think it’s going to be a great battle.”
Moutet made it difficult on Draper — and the Brit did not help himself by committing 31 unforced errors to Moutet’s 21.
“I’m proud of my efforts today. I was a bit bamboozled in the start,” Draper told Sky Sports after the match. “I haven’t played someone like (Moutet) ever.
“There’s no doubt I came out a bit all over the place today — but I’m in the quarterfinals now and there’s no time to be tired.”
No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner continued to enjoy his comeback from a three-month suspension in front of a favorable home crowd. He swept past No. 17 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 7-6 (2), 6-3. Sinner has won 24 straight matches dating back to last year.
“I still have to do many things to recover in the best possible way, but I need this,” Sinner said. “I’m happy to be back (after) three months out, so with every situation I’m very fortunate and lucky.”
Sinner’s next opponent won’t be determined till Wednesday. The match between Norwegian No. 6 seed Casper Ruud and Spain’s Jaume Munar, scheduled as the final match of Tuesday night, was postponed to Wednesday morning after the tournament got off schedule due to a rain delay.
The No. 30 seed knocked off the No. 20 seed when Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz outlasted the Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (5). Hurkacz had 19 aces and saved 7 of 8 break points to beat the Miami Open champion.
Hurkacz will face American No. 11 seed Tommy Paul, who took down Australian seventh seed Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3.
No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany hit eight aces without a double fault in his 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory over No. 13 Frenchman Arthur Fils. His next opponent is Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who pleased the home crowd with a 7-5, 6-4 win over No. 10 Daniil Medvedev of Russia.
–Field Level Media
