Carlos Alcaraz cruises, Stefanos Tsitsipas scrapes through in Rotterdam
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz plays a forehand return against Italy's Andrea Vavassori in their clash at the Rotterdam Open.
PHOTO: AFP
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ROTTERDAM – Carlos Alcaraz was feeling under the weather, but he still eased into the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open on Feb 6 with a comfortable straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori.
The top-seeded Spaniard had far too much firepower and accuracy for Vavassori, ranked 317th in the world, running out a 6-2, 6-1 victory in just over an hour.
“Today, I think I hit everything pretty well. I’m just hopeful I can keep going and be a bit better next round,” said world No. 3 Alcaraz.
Wearing a breathing aid on his nose as he recovers from illness, he got off to a flying start, breaking in the very first game and sealing the set 6-2 as the Italian pushed a forehand wide.
The Spaniard again broke early in the second set, taking the third game with a sumptuous lob. A second break followed quickly afterwards as Vavassori double-faulted.
Alcaraz wrapped up the match with another break of serve, sending a powerful forehand return to the feet of his opponent, who could only poke it wide.
“I had no ups and downs today which is good for me, something I’m working on,” added the four-time Grand Slam champion.
The victory was a stark contrast to his first-round match, when he required nearly three hours to dispatch local hero Botic van de Zandschulp.
“The first match of every tournament it’s never easy to get used to the conditions, so I’m just trying to make the most of the time I spent here in the first round,” he explained.
Alcaraz will face Pedro Martinez for a place in the semi-finals after his compatriot stunned Danish fifth seed Holger Rune 6-4, 6-1.
Earlier in the day, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas saved a match point to overcome local hope Tallon Griekspoor in a three-hour marathon.
The world No. 12 eventually overcame spirited resistance from the Dutchman with a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 victory.
“I feel like I was here for 10 hours today. I felt like me and Tallon played for ages... We started yesterday and finished today,” Tsitsipas joked.
“I always felt that he brought the best out of me. We were both fighting pretty well out on the court. These are matches that are going to be remembered.”
Tsitsipas now faces a quarter-final clash with Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, who shocked second-seed Daniil Medvedev in a marathon three-setter on Feb 5.
Also through to the quarter-finals in the bottom half of the draw is 2024 runner-up Alex de Minaur, who defeated Czech teenager Jakub Mensik 6-4, 6-4. AFP
