Carlos Alcaraz was made to work for a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Karen Khachanov that earned him a spot in the Italian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday and a rematch with Jack Draper — who beat him earlier this year.
Alcaraz saved two break points early in the third set, then dropped his serve later on to waste an early break before improving to 5-0 in his career against the 24th-ranked Khachanov.
“Physically, I was struggling a little bit,” Alcaraz said. “Not any pain in any part of the body. I was just tired. I had to run a lot. I was really proud the way I fought (for) every ball.”
The third-ranked Alcaraz wore a long black brace that covered the upper portion of his right leg and stretched down to just below his knee.
Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open last month due to an upper right leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final. He also had a left leg injury.
Alcaraz, who won the Monte Carlo Masters in April, improved to 12-1 on clay this season. The four-time Grand Slam champion will next face No. 5 Draper, who rallied past Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 on the red clay courts of the Foro Italico.
While Alcaraz holds a 3-2 career edge over Draper, the British player won their most recent meeting in the semifinals at Indian Wells, California, in March.
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Alcaraz is playing the Italian Open for the second time. During the Spaniard’s debut last year, he lost to then-135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round as he dealt with a bothersome right forearm issue.
But Alcaraz then went on to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Lorenzo Musetti also reached the quarterfinals after heavy rain forced him to wait nearly three hours at match point before he could finish off his straight-sets victory over Daniil Medvedev to win 7-5, 6-4.
World number nine Musetti will will face either reigning Rome champion Alexander Zverev or France’s Arthur Fils in the last eight.
Later in the other half of the draw, top-ranked Jannik Sinner was to play No. 18 Francisco Cerundolo in the biggest test so far after his return from a three-month doping ban.
Jasmine Paolini was playing on centre court at the same time as the first part of Musetti’s match but managed to complete her comeback from a set down to beat Diana Shnaider 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2 just before the worst of the weather hit.
Paolini is the first Italian woman to reach the Rome semifinals since 2014, when her doubles partner Sara Errani got to the final only to be soundly beaten by Serena Williams.
Sixth seed Paolini will line up against either Elina Svitolina or Peyton Stearns who play the second of two women’s quarterfinals later on Tuesday.
Rome is the last big warmup tournament before the French Open starts May 25.
(With AFP inputs)
