World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz had to sweat as he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open on Thursday. Alcaraz withdrew from the last Monte Carlo Masters with back and arm problems.He has struggled at times with the Spanish veteran as he continues to prepare for the French Open in May.
Top-seeded Alcaraz defeated Nuno Borges on Tuesday but struggled in the round of 16. He continued to defend Barcelona’s title at Rafael Nadal’s place.
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Stormy conditions
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has left Barcelona with a hip injury and previously announced he would not be able to compete in the Madrid Masters next week. Alcaraz got off to a shaky start in windy conditions, scoring two break points in the opening round with Bautista Agut showing great resilience.
The 35-year-old has played well and played a lot better since Indian Wells lost to Alcaraz in March 2022. 19-year-old Alcaraz is looking for his third triumph of the season after that year’s triumph in California and at New a Buenos Aires tried to remain consistent, making some unforced errors.
The 2022 US Open winner beat the score 5-3 and consolidated to win the opener with a dramatic backhand in the final game that brought fans to their knees.
Upset in game two Carlos Alcaraz grabbed a quick break early in the second set before holding serve 2-0 and six straight, playing with more confidence.
Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-2 to open his quarterfinal match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur. De Minaur side-lined after Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov retired due to illness. Jannik Sinner defeated Yoshihito Nishioka 6:1, 4:6, 6:3 and met his Italian compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated British Cameron Norri 3:6, 6:4, 6:1
