Carlos Alcaraz battles past Khachanov into Italian Open quarter finals

Third seed Carlos Alcaraz had to dig deep and fight hard to secure his spot in the Italian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday. Facing Karen Khachanov, a player he had previously never lost a set to in four meetings, Alcaraz was pushed to the limit on the Foro Italico centre court, ultimately prevailing in three sets with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

The Spaniard was candid about the difficulty of the match and his own performance. "It was tiring. You know the match was really tough. I had to run. I had to run a lot," Alcaraz commented. He added a self-critical assessment, stating, "I didn't play well. I just fought and I'm just really happy about it."

The match didn't initially appear destined for a lengthy battle. Alcaraz rattled off six consecutive games, winning the first set and the opening game of the second, seemingly set to cruise. However, Khachanov, the 28-year-old Russian, showed significant resilience. Despite being broken in the fifth game of the second set, Khachanov immediately broke back and went on to claim the set, leveling the match.

The fight continued into the third set, where Khachanov displayed "incredible spirit," winning three straight games to draw level at 4-4, just when Alcaraz seemed poised to secure the win. But Alcaraz "would not be denied" and eventually clinched the "entertaining match," reportedly on his second match point opportunity.

For the French Open seed!

Advancing to the quarter-finals is a crucial step for Alcaraz. It keeps alive his pursuit of a third title this season, and more importantly, it moves him closer to guaranteeing a top-two seeding for the French Open, which is scheduled to begin later this month. This victory marked Alcaraz's 12th win on clay courts this year. His next challenge in the last eight will be against fifth seed Jack Draper, who secured his spot by defeating France's Corentin Moutet.