Rome, May 13 (LaPresse) – Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Internazionali. The Spaniard, ranked No. 3 in the world, defeated 28-year-old Russian Karen Khachanov, ranked No. 24, in three sets, with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, after a hard-fought match. It was the fifth meeting between the two players, and for the first time, the Russian managed to take a set from the Spaniard, who will now face the winner of the match between Draper and Moutet for a place in the semifinals.
Alcaraz had a rough start, with Khachanov breaking his serve right away, but the Spaniard responded with a double break in the sixth and eighth games. The second set was more balanced: after being broken in the fifth game and immediately breaking back in the sixth, the Russian turned the tables in the eighth game. In the decisive set, Alcaraz broke in the fourth game, but Khachanov responded in the seventh to level at 4-4. Alcaraz then stepped up in the eleventh game with the decisive break and closed out the match after about two and a half hours of play. In the semifinals, the Spaniard will face British player Jack Draper.