Alcaraz survives Munar scare to reach Queen’s quarter-finals

LONDON: Top seed Carlos Alcaraz was made to work hard for his place in the Queen’s Club Championships quarter-finals on Thursday, edging fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-5 in a gripping contest that lasted over three hours.

Fresh off his French Open triumph, Alcaraz looked set for a routine win after taking the first set with relative ease. But Munar, ranked outside the top 50, pushed the world number two to the brink, saving a match point in the second set tiebreak and going up 4-2 in the decider.

Alcaraz, however, showed trademark resilience, breaking Munar twice late in the third to extend his winning streak to 15 matches — the longest of his young career.

“It was a really tough battle,” Alcaraz said. “He’s a great competitor and he showed how difficult it is to beat him.”

The 2023 Queen’s Club champion continues his grasscourt build-up to Wimbledon, where he will seek his third consecutive Grand Slam title.