Jack Draper suffered a straight-sets defeat to Carlos Alcaraz as his run at the Italian Open ended at the quarter-final stage.
The British No 1 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.
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, who defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7-1) 6-4, in the last four.
Frustration as Draper loses tactical and emotional battle
Jack Draper speaking to Sky Sports Tennis: “Carlos was better tactically and emotionally than me. I sit here very frustrated with my match today. I could have tactically changed a few things better and I think emotionally I was too negative.
“A lot of that is how much tennis I’ve played, but top players bring that out of you, and Carlos was the better player and deserved to win. I’ve got to keep on working on being more physical. It’s a bit more of a chess game on clay and I’m still learning.
“I am looking forward to going back to Roland-Garros after last year, which was a disappointing one. I feel like I’ve never really played really good, confident tennis there, so I am looking forward to that. I’m hungry to get there and carry on this form on the clay courts.”
Pride as Alcaraz rediscovers rhythm
Alcaraz on Sky Sports Tennis: “I think the most important thing was not thinking if I was up or down. I was doing the things that 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 of how I approached the match.” [SKY Sports]
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