Carlos Alcaraz joined the reigning Italian openian openness champion Alexander Zverev in the last 16 in Rome after seeing Laslo Djere 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 on Center runs on Sunday. The quadruple Grand Chelem champion, Alcaraz, reached the fourth round at Foro Italico for the first time after a battle with fiery Djere. In the next round, Alcaraz will face Karen Khachanov who knocked out the Italian participant Francesco Passaro 6-3, 6-0. Alcaraz was playing in his second match since his thigh injury during his final defeat of Barcelona Open by Holger Rune last month.
And the Spaniard was not at his best against Djere, whose three victories in a career tournament all came to Clay, his last title in March, to the Chile Open in Santiago.
The 22 -year -old was broken twice in the first set that seemed to go in both directions until he takes control in the possible equality break, before sweeping Djere aside in the second.
Meanwhile, Zverev barely knew how to sweat against the Lithuanian qualifier Vilius Gaubas, assumed a 6-4, 6-0 victory to set up a last confrontation with France Arthur fils.
The world’s number two took an hour and 26 minutes to see Gaubas, which suggests that the burnout he said he was suffering earlier in the year could be behind him.
Zverev hopes that a good defense of his crown of Rome will set him up to get better than last year to the French Open and be crowned champion.
But he will face a much more difficult test against the sons, who beat Stefanos Tsisipas 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, than that put in place by Gaubas.
It was a good day for French players in the male tournament with the victory of the sons and the world number 83 Corentin Moutet shocking Holger Rune 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) to claim his very first victory on a top 10 player and align the fifth head of Jack Draper in the next round.
Daniil Medvedev will face hope at the Lorenzo Musetti house after not being mistaken against Alexei Popyrin, winning 6-4, 6-1.
Sabalenka through
Aryna Sabalenka has gone through a difficult match with the former winner of the Australian Open Sofia Kenin to set up a confrontation with Marta Kostyuk, who beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2.
The world number one in Sabalenka has reached the final of its last four tournaments, winning in Miami and Madrid, and is now a favorite at Foro Italico even after the display lower than Sunday’s word.
The finalist losing last year was not in the races in the first set, which constantly lost his setbacks before complaining of the surface on the central field.
“I was completely gone, and I’m really happy to have been able to cool and … start focusing on the game and the right things,” Sabalenka told journalists.
Belarusian Sabalenka has an excellent opportunity to claim its third 1000 series of the season of the season, after the triple winner Iga SwiTek was abandoned by Danielle Collins on Saturday.
“She faces really difficult challenges, I believe, out of the field,” added Sabalenka de Swiatek.
“Maybe maybe need free time, then she will resume her game because the level is there. She is a champion.”
One of the main rivals of Sabalenka for the female title, Coco Gauff, crossed Magda Linette in the right sets 7-5, 6-3 and should see Emma Raducanu in the next round.
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)
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