8 hours ago
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British number one Jack Draper was knocked out of the Italian Open as Carlos Alcaraz showed his quality under pressure to reach the semi-finals.
Draper, 23, was beaten 6-4 6-4 on the Rome clay as world number three Alcaraz battled valiantly to save break points at key moments and take his own chances when they came.
Englishman Draper, who is fifth in the ATP rankings, led 4-2 in the first set before Alcaraz fought back to take the lead.
Looking to build on his run to the Madrid Open final last week, Draper recovered in the second set and constantly applied pressure on Alcaraz's serve.
But he was unable to convert three break points and, after coming through a lengthy eighth game to hold, reigning French Open champion Alcaraz ran with the momentum.
"I played with such a high rhythm during the whole match and didn't let him dominate in the rallies," said Alcaraz.
"It was a good weapon for me and I'm really proud how I approached the match."
Alcaraz, a first-time Rome semi-finalist, will play Italy's Lorenzo Musetti or Germany's Alexander Zverev in the last four.
Coming into this European clay-court swing, Draper had won nine of his 20 matches on the red dirt.
Now, having reached the Madrid final and caused problems for Alcaraz in Rome, he has emerged as a genuine force on the surface going into next week's French Open.
This was, though, a reminder of what it takes to beat the world's leading men's clay-courter.
Building up his physical durability - having struggled with fitness issues in previous seasons - has been key to Draper's improvement on a surface which does not come naturally to the left-hander.
All his greater physicality was needed against Alcaraz - a player who glides effortlessly around the clay and has more time to employ his weapons effectively on the slower surface.
Draper hung tough in the baseline rallies on his way to a 4-2 lead in the first set, but was unable to consolidate the break as Alcaraz instantly hit back.
Continuing to make Draper work hard behind the baseline in the points, and electing to employ the drop-shot more regularly to end them, helped Alcaraz switch momentum.
Draper began to look weary as Alcaraz won five straight games to move a set and a break up, but demonstrated his improved durability by digging deep to find another wind.
Draper instantly broke back in the second set, breezing through his next few service games while ramping up the pressure on Alcaraz.
Suddenly, Alcaraz looked flustered as his serve came under intense scrutiny.
The Spaniard played more than twice as many service points as Draper across the opening eight games, but hung on to keep the set on serve.
Not breaking his serve ultimately knocked the stuffing out of Draper.
The British left-hander was broken to love in the ninth game, bowing his head at the changeover signalling his frustration, before Alcaraz confidently served out.
The victory moves the Spaniard above Zverev to second in the rankings - and, crucially, ensures he will be seeded second when he starts the defence of his Roland Garros crown.
