Carlos Alcaraz says what made the difference for him during win over Jack Draper in Rome

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Carlos Alcaraz was looking to advance to his maiden Italian Open semi-final with a win over British star Jack Draper.

The world number three had made a strong start to his Italian Open campaign, taking down Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic and Laslo Djere in his opening two matches.

Alcaraz then beat Karen Khachanov to advance to the quarterfinals, where he came face to face with a man he’s played twice already in 2025.

It was the Spaniard who prevailed in their third meeting of the year, beating Draper in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

The scoreline doesn’t tell the full story, however, as Alcaraz was made to work for his spot in the last four, and now reveals what made the difference for him against the Brit.

Carlos Alcaraz says not letting Jack Draper ‘dominate’ made the difference for him in Rome

During his on-court interview, Alcaraz reflected on his quarterfinal win, and explained how he approached the match.

“The most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the results at all, not thinking about if I was up, just try to do the things that make me happy, on court, try to play aggressive, hit good shots, drop shots, go to the net, what I like to do on the court,” he said.

“I think that made the difference today.

“I played a high rhythm during the whole match, I didn’t let him dominate, or stay long in the rallies, that was a really good weapon today for me, really proud of how I approached the match.”

In a tight match, it was Alcaraz who took the initiative, hitting 16 more winners than his opponent.

• Carlos Alcaraz – 24 winners, 29 unforced errors
• Jack Draper – 8 winners, 18 unforced errors

The Spaniard’s win was his fourth against the Brit on the ATP Tour, extending his head-to-head lead to 4-2.

Alcaraz was then asked whether he thinks he is playing close to his best level, to which he responded in a typically positive manner.

“I just feel like I’m playing great tennis on clay,” he said.

“I started my clay season really well, it was a shame that I got injured after Barcelona, but it’s always difficult to be in good shape during the whole swing, so just to accept it, to keep going, to recover as good as I can and as fast as I can.

“I’m just happy to be feeling a good rhythm, a good tennis here on clay here in Rome, obviously this match gave me a lot of confidence.”

Carlos Alcaraz becomes first player to hit ATP milestone in 2025

With his win over Draper, Alcaraz surpassed 3,000 points for the season, becoming the first player on the ATP Tour to do so.

A title for either Alexander Zverev or Jannik Sinner in the Italian capital would see them join Alcaraz above the 3,000-point line.

Sinner beat Francisco Cerundolo in his fourth-round match and will certainly have the fans on his side when he returns to take on Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals.

Zverev will play another home favorite, Lorenzo Musetti, in his quarterfinal match on Wednesday, May 14.

The world number two will be more than aware that a win against Musetti will see him take on Alcaraz for a place in the final.

Their rivalry has been hotly contested, with Zverev currently edging the head-to-head 6-5, thanks to his most recent win at last year’s ATP Finals.

Alcaraz will surely want to level things up once more should they face off in the semi-finals of this year’s Italian Open on Friday, May 16.