Carlos Alcaraz found his best level when he needed it most on Tuesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings delivered an up-and-down fourth-round performance against Karen Khachanov at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome, but his peaks proved enough to secure a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory. Alcaraz let slip a break lead in both the second and third sets, including four straight games from 6-3, 3-2 up, but recovered in time to maintain his perfect Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Khachanov.
“It feels amazing to get the win at the end against a really big and really tough guy like Khachanov,” said Alcaraz. “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.
“At a break up in the second set, from then to the end of the second set, I probably lost focus a little bit. He started to play great, but I was really happy to forget it and come into the third set as good as I could. I just fought, and I’m really happy about that.”
With his two-hour, 29-minute win, Alcaraz advanced to the quarter-finals in Rome for the first time, and he has now reached that stage at all nine Masters 1000 events. The 22-year-old is the first Spaniard to make the last eight in Rome since record 10-time champion Rafael Nadal in 2021. Jaume Munar could make it two Spaniards in the 2025 quarter-finals later on Tuesday by defeating Casper Ruud.
Alcaraz leads 3-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but Draper won their most recent meeting in March en route to the title in Indian Wells.
“Jack is playing great,” said Alcaraz of Draper, who will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings next Monday should he win the pair’s quarter-final. “The way he’s playing is really high. 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.”
Now 26-5 for 2025, including a 12-1 record on clay, Alcaraz will take on fifth seed Jack Draper in the semi-finals after the in-form Briton rallied past Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. It will be a clash between the first and second-placed players in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
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