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Alcaraz reaches Rome semi-finals, Ruud sets up Sinner clash

Carlos Alcaraz powered into the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jack Draper, keeping his hopes alive for a first title in Rome and securing a top-two seeding for the French Open.

The third seed will face either defending champion Alexander Zverev or Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the last four. The victory also lifts Alcaraz to No. 2 in the ATP rankings, behind compatriot Jannik Sinner.

“The most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the result at all,” said Alcaraz. “Not thinking about if I was up, if I was down. Just trying to do the things that make me happy on court, just trying to play aggressive, hitting good shots, drop shots, go to the net. That’s what I like to do on the court and I think that made the difference today.”

Draper, seeded fifth, was aiming to become the first British man to reach the Rome semi-finals since Andy Murray in 2016, but Alcaraz turned the match around after falling 2-0 behind in the first set. He saved two break points in a pivotal 10-minute game in the second set before breaking Draper to love and closing out the match.

Earlier, Casper Ruud booked a quarter-final meeting with Sinner by defeating Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-4. The sixth seed was delayed by Tuesday’s rain but showed no signs of disruption.

“Tomorrow will be one of the toughest matches of the year, probably,” said Ruud. “Let’s see.”

(Source: AFP)

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