Carlos Alcaraz Dominates on Clay, Reaches Rome Masters 1000 Quarterfinals
Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz has continued his impressive form on clay, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the round of 16 at the Rome Masters 1000. This victory marks Alcaraz’s 24th win in his last 26 matches on clay, solidifying his position as one of the top players on the surface.
According to Marca, Alcaraz’s latest triumph sets up a quarterfinal clash with Jack Draper, who defeated Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Although Alcaraz leads Draper 3-2 in their head-to-head record, the British player will be looking to cause an upset, having pushed Alcaraz to a tight match in their recent semifinal encounter at Indian Wells.
At just 22 years and 8 days old, Alcaraz has achieved a remarkable milestone, becoming one of the youngest players to reach the quarterfinals in nine consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events. As Marca reports, only Rafael Nadal had previously achieved this feat at a younger age, doing so at 21 years and 154 days.
Despite struggling with his serve, Alcaraz has developed a reputation for being able to break his opponents’ serves with ease. In his match against Khachanov, the Russian won the toss and chose to receive, taking an early break. However, Alcaraz quickly regained his composure, and as Marca notes, "he started with a 2-0 lead, 0-30 and five unforced errors." The Spaniard went on to win the first set, taking a commanding lead.
The second set saw Khachanov mount a comeback, with the Russian Marca reports, "firming the tables ante the carrusel of unforced errors (17) that arrived from the other side of the network." However, Alcaraz showed his resilience, eventually taking the match in a deciding set.
In his post-match comments, Alcaraz referenced the movie ‘300’, saying "Marca reports, "The arrows will hide the sun, because we will fight in the shade". This win brings Alcaraz one victory away from securing his position as the second seed at the upcoming French Open.
As Marca notes, a semifinal appearance in Rome will guarantee Alcaraz a top-two seeding at Roland Garros, leapfrogging Alexander Zverev in the rankings. With his confidence growing on clay, Alcaraz will be a strong contender for the title in Paris.
