Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday overcame a second-set wobble to defeat Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-4 and reach the Barcelona Open quarter-finals.
The world No. 2 stepped up a gear from his first-round win over Ethan Quinn to dispatch his 80th-ranked opponent on the Catalan clay as he prepares for his French Open title defense.
Alcaraz, who triumphed at the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, has had an inconsistent start to the year and in March fell at the first hurdle at the Miami Open.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Home favorite Alcaraz saved both break points he faced in a first-set stroll, with Djere unable to produce a single winner to the Spaniard’s eight.
The four-time Grand Slam winner won five games straight to claim a 5-1 first-set lead and sealed it with his second set point.
In the second set, Djere offered more of a fight and even broke for a 4-2 lead, but Alcaraz bounced back quickly.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Djere could not handle the Spaniard in full flow and crumbled away as Alcaraz won the final four games to triumph, sealing his win when the Serb pushed a shot into the net.
“After going 4-2 down in the second, I played a bit more like what my level is,” Alcaraz said. “I am very happy that I could step up my level and seem more like my best, and I want to continue.”
Alcaraz was to face world No. 7 Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals yesterday after the Australian eased to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jacob Fearnley in just over an hour.
“It’s very positive for the tournament that all the favorites are in the quarter-finals,” Alcaraz said. “I don’t know if it’s more or less difficult than in previous years, but it’s going to be a battle from now on.”
Briton Fearnley, competing on the red dirt for the first time this week, made 28 unforced errors and was unable to convert either of his two break points.
The Scot got into the main draw as a lucky loser, but was able to earn his first win on clay against Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round.
Earlier, in-form Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeated world No. 8 Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4.
The Spaniard, ranked 30th, had never beaten the Russian before, but triumphed at the sixth time of asking in straight sets.
Monte Carlo semi-finalist Davidovich Fokina broke three times in a topsy-turvy first set, with Rublev twice reacting before the Malaga native held to love in the 12th game.
Rublev went a break down in the first game of the second set, but despite securing one of his own for 2-2, he was once again broken as Davidovich Fokina took a 5-4 lead and then served out for the match, again to love.
Spain’s Jaume Munar came up short against Karen Khachanov, who also won 7-5, 6-4, and was to face Davidovich Fokina.
The Russian, who trains in Barcelona, only converted four of 15 break points, but eventually put the battling Munar to bed.
Defending champion Casper Ruud was to face Holger Rune and last year’s runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas was to take on the exciting Arthur Fils in yesterday’s other quarter-finals.
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