Jack Draper out of Italian Open after straight-sets defeat by Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz saved six of the eight break points he faced.
Jack Draper was beaten 6-4 6-4 by world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open.
The British number one was looking to climb to fifth in the ATP rankings with a win, but he was ultimately undone in straight sets as Alcaraz saved six of the eight break points he faced to advance to the last four in Rome.
Draper was victorious the last time these two met, in the semi-finals at Indian Wells in March en route to the Englishman claiming his first Masters 1000 title, and he made a strong start this time, breaking serve to lead 4-2 in the first set thanks to an Alcaraz double fault.
After falling 5-4 behind following a poor game, he relinquished two opportunities to break back and save the set.
He initially looked to have recovered in the second and put pressure on Alcaraz’s serve, but he failed again to convert two break points in the penultimate game, handing his opponent the momentum.
“I think the most important thing was not thinking if I was up or down,” Alcaraz, who made 29 unforced errors in the match, said in an on-court interview afterwards.
“I was doing the things which make me happy on court, trying to play aggressive, hitting good shots, drop shots, going to the net.
“That’s what I like to do and that made the difference today. I played with such a high rhythm during the whole match and didn’t let him dominate in the rallies.
“It was a good weapon for me and I’m really proud how I approached the match.”
Draper, who was in search of a maiden clay title on the ATP tour, has looked tired in Rome, mentally as much as physically, with the defeat coming as a disappointment following last week’s run to the Madrid Open final.
Alcaraz, who now leads 4-2 in head-to-head between the pair, is a first-time semi-finalist in Rome and will play Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the last four after he beat Alexander Zverev 7-6 6-4.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka was stunned by China’s Zheng Qinwen to crash out in the quarter-finals in straight sets.
Olympic champion Zheng broke her opponent’s serve to take a 3-2 lead in the first set and clear the way to victory, before repeating the feat in Sabalenka’s first service game of the second to claim her first ever win against the Belarusian 6-4 6-3 and set up a last-four meeting with Coco Gauff.
It means a first semi-final of the season for the number eight seed as she looks to add to the gold medal she won in Paris in 2024.
“It’s been a long time I haven’t arrived in semi-finals,” the 22-year-old told Sky Sports.
“It was not easy for me because at the beginning of the year I got some struggle with my arm. So right now I’m just perfectly in shape and trying to play better tennis all the time.”
Gauff had earlier beaten Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to set up the meeting with Zheng.
The 21-year-old followed up victory over Emma Raducanu win 6-4 7-6 to make it nine wins in her last 10 on clay to advance, and will overtake Iga Swiatek to become the new world number two.
“A lot of confidence heading into the semi-finals. I think today some points weren’t played at my best, but I still managed to be successful,” said Gauff.
