Alcaraz advances to Italian Open semi-finals, Zverev eliminated

(Dan Tri) - Carlos Alcaraz maintained his good form at the Italian Open when he defeated Jack Draper 6-4, 6-4. Defending champion Alexander Zverev was eliminated after losing to Lorenzo Musetti in two sets.

Rome is the promised land for Carlos Alcaraz, as he continues his winning run at the ATP Masters 1000 on clay. Alcaraz overcame Jack Draper 6-4, 6-4 on the night of May 14, booking himself a place in the semi-finals after a match that lasted 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Carlos Alcaraz is maintaining his good form at the Italian Open (Photo: Getty).

Alcaraz struggled a bit after falling behind 4-2 in the first set and losing the second, but his power and determination proved to be his strength and helped him emerge victorious. After the match, Alcaraz said: "I think the most important thing I did today was not to think too much about the shots or the pressure. I tried to do things that make me happy on the court, like attacking and hitting good shots. I kept the tempo high and didn't let my opponent dominate."

Alcaraz is aiming for his second Masters 1000 title of the year and the win also saw him move up to No. 2 in the ATP rankings, overtaking Alexander Zverev. This ensures him the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Roland Garros, where he will defend his title.

Expressing his excitement, Alcaraz said: "I feel like I've had a great clay-court season and I'm excited to continue to improve my form." Alcaraz reached the final at the Barcelona Open before retiring from the Madrid Open with an adductor injury, but has been in excellent form since returning to Rome.

The Spaniard showed his superiority in ending Draper's adventure, using his power and clever tactics to control the match. Alcaraz finished the match with 24 winners to Draper's eight. His composure in handling his opportunities allowed Alcaraz to convert all four break points he earned. After defeating Draper, Alcaraz took a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head series.

Despite the defeat, Draper also had an impressive performance on clay, making a new step in his career after surpassing Taylor Fritz and reaching the No. 4 position in the ATP live rankings.

Musetti creates surprise in the quarter-finals (Photo: Getty).

Lorenzo Musetti had an emotional and technical performance to overcome champion Alexander Zverev at the Italian Open, which took place in the early morning of May 15.

With the home crowd cheering him on, the Italian turned up the heat to win 7-6(1), 6-4, defeating the ATP No. 2. This was Musetti’s second win over such a strong opponent.

In the challenging match that lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes, Musetti brilliantly executed 20 drop shots and succeeded in 15 of them, confusing his opponent. Excitement filled the Foro Italico stadium as fans watched in suspense, occasionally "silencing" each other as the confrontations continued.

"The huge support from the fans was an advantage for me. I felt the adrenaline and energy from the first point, although it was not an easy start, I found a way to rise, and that was the key to success in this match," Musetti shared.

At 23, Musetti fought fiercely, especially when he came back from behind, saving three consecutive set points in the opening set and winning the tie-break impressively. Musetti's versatile game forced Zverev to constantly adapt and be unpredictable.

Musetti revealed the tactic: "This was part of the strategy, to make things complicated for Sascha, especially when he was far from the line. The drop shots were very effective because the ball didn't bounce much in the evening."

In the semifinals, Musetti will face Carlos Alcaraz, the third seed who leads the head-to-head series 4-1. Musetti is 20-6 this season.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-tien-vao-ban-ket-italian-open-zverev-bi-loai-20250515071319026.htm