Rome [Italy], May 14 : Spain's rising star Carlos Alcaraz punched Jack Draper's return ticket from Rome with a clinical victory in the Italian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The world number three sunk Draper in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, en route to a one-hour, 38-minute triumph at the clay ATP Masters 1000. Even though the Briton had staged a memorable victory over Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals in March, the 22-year-old overcame the haunting memories of his past.
With a spirited display, Alcaraz rallied from 2-4 in the opening set at Campo Centrale with four consecutive points by dominating from the backline. For his next point, he ventured ahead in the court and enjoyed more success than setbacks.
After staging a flawless comeback in the opening set, Alcaraz let slip an early break lead in the second. However, he rebounded with his sheer quality to punch his ticket for the semi-finals, continuing his rollercoaster ride in Rome.
"I think the most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the shots at all. Not thinking about the fact that I was down, just trying to do the things that make me happy. On court I just tried to be aggressive, play good shots, drop shots, go to the net. That's what I like to do on the court, and I think that made the difference today," Alcaraz said as quoted from ATP.
"I played such a high rhythm during the whole match that I didn't let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. I think that was a really good win today for me, and I'm just really proud about the way I approached the match," he added.
Like his previous performances in the tournament, the 22-year-old shone with a streak of sublime strokes but floundered in patches due to minor lapses. Despite the setbacks, Alcaraz exuded enough consistency to overwhelm the fifth-seeded Briton.
The Spanish sensation finished the fixture having struck 24 winners to Draper's eight. His tally was enough to make up for his 29 unforced errors compared to Draper's 18.
"I'm just excited to keep it going and try to compete as well as I can. I'm just happy to feel the good rhythm, feel the good tennis again here in Rome, and obviously this match has given me a lot of confidence," he added.
With Alcaraz's triumph, a mouth-watering semi-final fixture is on the cards as the Spaniard takes on either the defending champion and second seed Alexander Zverev or Lorenzo Musetti.
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