Carlos Alcaraz reveals the ‘weapon’ that helped him overcome ‘frustrated’ Jack Draper to reach Italian Open semi-finals

Carlos Alcaraz is into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after beating Britain’s Jack Draper 6-4 6-4 in Rome.

Having met on five previous occasions, this was the first time the pair had faced each other on clay.

Stadio Centrale was packed to the rafters at the Foro Italico as an expectant crowd was provided with the start they expected.

Both players came out showing high energy and purpose, with power, agility and strength on show throughout.

Service was controlled during the early stages, but it was the Brit who made the first break as Alcaraz’s first double fault of the match handed Draper a 4-2 first-set advantage.

However, the world No. 3 fought back instantly and broke to love in an impressive display of ruthless tennis.

Alcaraz’s drop shot proved devastating as the first set progressed, weighing it to perfection on numerous occasions as he gave himself the chance to serve out the set with a successive break.

Draper fought back well in the second set, but failed to convert two golden opportunities to break. Despite taking control and finding himself 4-3 up, he was unable to stop a powerful Alcaraz who stormed to victory in the last two games.

Headlines of a ‘straight sets victory’ will probably leave Draper feeling a little hard done by, but Alcaraz’s class cannot be denied as he marches on to a last-four encounter against either Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who play later on Wednesday.

The Spaniard referenced his attacking game plan in a post-match interview with Sky Sports, saying: “I was doing the things which make me happy on court – trying to play aggressive, hitting good shots, drop shots, go to the net.

“That’s what I like to do and that made the difference today. I played with such a high rhythm during the whole match and didn’t let him dominate in the rallies.

“It was a good weapon for me and I’m really proud how I approached the match.”

There had been concerns for Alcaraz heading into Rome after he pulled out of the Madrid Open with hamstring and groin injuries.

“It’s a shame I got injured just after Barcelona but you just have to accept it, keep going, and recover as fast as I can,” Alcaraz added.

“I’m happy to be feeling in a good rhythm again on clay in Rome. This match gave me a lot of confidence.”

Jack Draper had high hopes for Rome following defeat in the Madrid Open final earlier in May.

To set up a tie against Alcaraz, he had to dig deep to defeat Corentin Moutet in the previous round.

“Carlos was better tactically than me, better emotionally,” he said. “I sit here very frustrated with my match today. Tactically, I could’ve been better.

“Carlos overall was the better player today and deserved to win.”

Speaking on his improved clay-court season this year, he added: “I’m proud of it, the last couple of weeks has shown me some real positives.

“It’s a bit more of a chess game on clay, so I’m learning.”

After Musetti and Zverev’s quarter-final clash on Wednesday evening, we will find out on Thursday who will contest the other semi-final in Rome.

Hubert Hurkacz plays Tommy Paul, before world No. 1 Jannik Sinner takes on Casper Ruud in front of a home crowd for a place in the last four.