Alcaraz, Zverev steady progress at Italian Open

(Dan Tri) - Carlos Alcaraz defeated Laslo Djere with a score of 7-6(2), 6-2 in the match in the third round of the Italian Open in the early morning of May 12, thereby winning the right to compete in the fourth round with Karen Khachanov.

In the early morning of May 12, Carlos Alcaraz overcame all challenges to advance to the fourth round of the Italian Open. The world No. 3 won 7-6(2), 6-2 against Laslo Djere, marking the first time he has reached the fourth round of this prestigious tournament.

In the second match between the two in four weeks, Alcaraz got off to a slow start at Campo Centrale, but quickly found his form and overcame Djere, who was struggling with a right arm injury.

Alcaraz is in good form in Rome (Photo: Getty).

"Honestly, I really struggled to find a good rhythm at the beginning of the match. Djere was very solid in the first set, with good serves that I couldn't stop him from. I think I had to be patient and wait for my chance. I'm happy to have won the first set. I think I played better in the second set. He made a few mistakes that I tried to take advantage of, the win makes me really happy," Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz beat Djere in April en route to the final at the Barcelona Open, converting four of nine break points in a match that lasted one hour and 44 minutes. With her 26th win of the season, the 22-year-old will face 23rd seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Francesco Passaro 6-3, 6-0.

Alcaraz is hoping to continue his consistent form in Rome after missing the Madrid Open with an adductor injury. "I tried to recover as best I could and then I got a cold," he said. "But once I'm on the court, I try not to think about it and just keep working hard."

A bizarre first set in their third-round encounter saw Djere unleash a flurry of forehands to take a 3-1 lead, before the Serb began complaining to coach Mario Tudor about problems with his right arm. Alcaraz continued to struggle to maintain consistency on his backhand but nonetheless broke back twice, including when Djere served for the set at 6-5, to force a tie-break.

With an up-and-down opening set, Alcaraz finally raised his game to win. He produced a series of classy tie-breaks, highlighted by a stunning forehand slice from a seemingly impossible position to claim set point.

Djere underwent physical therapy for his injured arm, but the injury became more apparent in the second set. The Serb quickly fell behind on a double-break. Alcaraz quickly closed out the match, winning 32 of 72 points on serve.

If Alcaraz can beat Khachanov to advance to the quarterfinals, he will complete his goal of reaching the quarterfinals in all nine Masters 1000 events. Alcaraz leads Khachanov 4-0 in the head-to-head series.

Zverev aims for his third Italian Open title (Photo: Getty).

Defending champion Alexander Zverev beat Lithuanian player Vilius Gaubas 6-4, 6-0 in an 86-minute match at the tournament in Rome.

"I didn't play my best in the first set but he challenged me," Zverev said in his post-match press conference. "Gaubas has won four matches here, beating quality players like Denis Shapovalov. I have a lot of respect for qualifiers. I was a qualifier myself, although it's been a while. He's playing in great form and I'm sure we'll see more of him."

Zverev, who also won in Rome in 2017, was in fine form in his third-round victory. The second seed has won his last nine matches in the Italian capital and is aiming for his second trophy of the season after winning on home soil in Munich last month.

Zverev also shared more about the playing conditions: "At first I felt a bit difficult because of the strong wind. The wind really calmed down after the first set and then I found it easier to get into rhythm and hit more coherent shots. I like to play with power and not a lot of variety, so for me, when I hit the ball coherently, it's beneficial for me and my game."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-zverev-vung-vang-tien-buoc-tai-italian-open-20250512074037094.htm